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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28450356">Mamma Mia!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/theloyalestmarauder/pseuds/theloyalestmarauder'>theloyalestmarauder</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Mamma Mia! (Movies), Mamma Mia! - ABBA/Johnson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Breaking Up &amp; Making Up, Comedy, Divorced Harry Potter &amp; Ginny Weasley, Dragons, F/M, Flashbacks, Gay, Gay Sex, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Implied Mpreg, Light Angst, M/M, Mamma Mia! References, Not Epilogue Compliant, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Rare Pairings, Romance, Werewolf Lavender Brown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:27:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28450356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/theloyalestmarauder/pseuds/theloyalestmarauder</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On a small Greek island, Lily Luna Malfoy dreams of a perfect wedding — one which includes her other father giving her away. The problem? Lily doesn’t know who he is! Her birth dad Draco refuses to talk about the past, so Lily decides to take matters into her own hands. Sneaking a peek in her father’s old pensieve memories, she discovers three possible fathers: Theo, Charlie, and Harry! She secretly invites all three to the wedding, convinced that she’ll know her father when she sees him. But when all three turn up, it may not be as clear as she thought!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy &amp; Charlie Weasley, Draco Malfoy &amp; Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Lavender Brown/Gregory Goyle, Marcus Flint/Oliver Wood, Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley, eventual Daphne Greengrass/Charlie Weasley, past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. what's the worst that could happen?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waywardstoner/gifts">Waywardstoner</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My life is a mess so I needed something to occupy my mind and this is it! I'm really excited with this idea - I LOVE the musical Mamma Mia! I'm sure I'm not the first person to recreate this idea with Harry Potter characters, but I'm going for it anyway. I hope it lives up to your expectations and surprises you as much as it's surprising me! Much much love to my dear friend and beta waywardstoner for all his help with editing this story and making sure I'm consistent. So if anything is amiss, we can 100% blame him. ;) I hope you enjoy this fluff piece! I'm having so much fun with it and I hope you do too.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>chapter 1: what’s the worst that could happen?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>28 December 1998</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The upbeat tempo of ABBA floated through the air, filling the common room with warmth and laughter as the trio stood in front of the fire, spinning in sync to the lyrics. He sat back on the couch, a lazy grin on his face, as he watched his three new friends drunkenly show him the dance they had made up when they were seven years old. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You’re a teaser, you turn ‘em on,” the blonde sang along loudest, throwing his long limbs around like he had had a lot of practice with this dance. “Leave them burning and then you’re gone!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The brunette- and raven-haired girls on either side of him were incapable of stifling their giggles as they swung their hips from side to side and flicked the ends of their feather boas they had transfigured from throw pillows, a pretty piece of magic considering just how much the group of teens had had to drink. And then the blonde was spinning around again, but he didn’t quite hit the mark. With a cry, he stumbled backwards and landed right in the boy’s lap.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Diggin’ the dancing queen!” the blonde finished through laughter, leaning back against the other boy’s chest, and throwing his head back. The girls clutched their abdomens in a fit of giggles, one of them tumbling right to the rug floor as tears streamed down their faces.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You guys were brilliant,” the boy on the couch said, absentmindedly bringing his arms up around the blonde. “I can’t believe I haven’t seen that before!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yes, well, should have been my friend much sooner, Potter,” the blonde said with a smirk, turning slightly to look down at the boy whose lap he stayed perched in. The boy just grinned up at him, his green eyes sparkling with drink and delight.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ll regret it as long as I live, Malfoy,” Harry teased, a warmth spreading through him at the flush that began to creep over Draco’s face.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Alright, if you two don’t stop eye fucking each other, I’m telling the Weaslette,” Pansy interrupted their moment, Daphne trying to stifle a snort beside her at their friend’s remark.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Her name is Ginny,” Harry said with a half-hearted glare. He knew the nickname was said with fondness. More shocking than his own budding friendship with the eighth year Slytherins was that of his girlfriend’s growing friendship with them.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s Ginevra,” Draco corrected Harry, his words slurring together as he settled back against Harry’s chest instead of standing up. Harry clenched his hands together where they were resting in front of Draco, his heartrate picking up.</em>
</p>
<p><em>“She hates that name,” Harry slurred with a frown, but his thoughts cut off when Draco tilted his head back to rest it on Harry’s shoulder, exposing a long, pale, expanse of neck. The skin would have been smooth if not for the slight stubble beginning to creep over Draco’s sharp chin and down his neck. A delicate woody scent began to fill his nostrils and Harry had to focus on </em>not<em> burying his nose into Draco’s bare skin and breathing it in.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>“She likes it just fine when I say it,” Draco slurred his reply with confidence, resting his hands down on top of Harry’s. Harry’s breath caught in his throat and he drunkenly wondered if Draco would let him tangle their fingers together.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Before their moment could continue, however, or before the girls watching them with matching grins could comment on it again, the ballerina portrait door swung open and the last Slytherin left at Hogwarts for the holidays strolled in. The raven-haired boy grinned at them and sauntered over, sleeves pushed up to his elbows and hands in his pockets. The boy dropped down into the seat next to Harry, relaxing easily beside them. Once he was settled, he reached out and wrapped a hand around Draco’s arm.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I believe this is mine, Potter,” the boy said with a laugh, tugging gently. Draco let go of Harry’s hands and went easily. Harry couldn’t help the empty feeling in his stomach as the boy pulled Draco over into his lap. The boy wrapped his arms around Draco where Harry’s had been, and Harry watched with a sinking heart as their fingers entwined together.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I don’t want him, Nott,” Harry laughed. “He’s all yours.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Draco childishly stuck his tongue out and twisted around in Theo’s lap until he was sitting sideways. Then he unceremoniously dropped his feet into Harry’s lap. The blonde didn’t let go of his boyfriend’s hands, but he beamed at Harry when Harry rested his hands on top of Draco’s bare feet.</em>
</p>
<p><em>"</em> <em>You should be so lucky, Potter,” Draco scoffed, and Theo laughed, leaning forwards to kiss his boyfriend’s cheek. Draco immediately turned to look at the boy that held him and Harry knew he had lost his friend’s attention.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Swallowing, he turned to look at the girls who had managed to get themselves into the chairs that sat across from the couch. Daphne was already distracted by the Hufflepuff boys that sat at the table behind her, calling back to them various chess moves and laughing every time she succeeded in distracting them. Pansy, however, was looking right at Harry with her brows raised and a curious look on her face. She looked pointedly at Draco and then met Harry’s gaze again, her brow going higher. Harry shrugged. They were drunk, surely they would all forget this. Surely Pansy would forget that she was reading Harry like an open book. And just as that thought crossed his mind, her expression turned sad. Briefly, her gaze dropped to Harry’s lap, where he had begun to absentmindedly stroke one of Draco’s ankles. His face was flushed by the time her gaze darted back up. He could feel his heart crack with the meaningful smile she offered then.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ve brought more drinks!” Terry Boot suddenly thundered from the entrance of the common room. The handful of eighth years that had stayed behind for the holidays and were scattered about around them all cheered. Harry just smiled at Pansy and hoped it was enough.</em>
</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>26 June 2019</p>
<p>He traced the delicate gold lettering with one hand, slowly swirling a glass of whiskey with his other. He leaned back in his home office chair and took a long sip of his drink, his gaze never leaving the smooth cardstock invitation. Tempted though he was to cast a <em>tempus</em>, he knew it was late without looking. The boys would be back tomorrow in the late afternoon, and he’d been so busy at work all week he still had to get the house ready so really, he should be going to sleep. Instead he filled his glass again and picked up the invitation to look at it even closer, as though he hadn’t memorized the damn thing the moment he opened the thick envelope that afternoon.</p>
<p><em>Mr. Draco Abraxas Black Malfoy<br/></em> <em>requests the pleasure of your company<br/></em> <em>at the wedding of his daughter<br/></em> <em>Lily Luna Malfoy<br/></em> <em>to Alexander Henry Wood<br/></em> <em>Saturday, twenty-eight September<br/></em> <em>Two thousand nineteen<br/></em> <em>at three in the afternoon<br/></em> <em>The Villa Ariadne<br/></em> <em>Kalokairi, Greece<br/><br/></em> <em>Reception to follow</em></p>
<p>He took a long, slow drink and then slammed the glass onto his desk. He felt suddenly tired, like he’d been in the field for days despite having not been for years. He sighed and pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes. This was not the first time he was hearing about Malfoy’s daughter. How could he have missed it after years of hearing about Teddy’s favorite cousin? After hearing about how she all but threw Victoire into Teddy’s arms? But this was different. He’d never even met the girl, let alone seen Malfoy in nearly twenty years, and now the blonde from his youth was inviting him to her wedding?</p>
<p>His elbows dropped to the desk, his face still buried in his hands. He wondered briefly if it was a mistake. The envelope was addressed to him, but the handwriting wasn’t Malfoy’s. Perhaps it was just like all the other wedding invitations over the years – folks inviting a “celebrity” just to say they had, or in the hopes of a gift or a signed photograph. He should just decline right now.</p>
<p>And yet.</p>
<p>Kalokairi, Greece. He dropped his hands to the desk to look at the location on the invitation again. There was more information in the envelope he left to the side, but he didn’t need it. He knew exactly how to find the little magical island off the coast of Naxos in the South Aegean. The memories of the quaint little island alone made it tempting to accept the invite. If he had received it, surely he was welcome? Surely Malfoy wouldn’t chase him right back to the continent? It was a public island. Even without the invitation, he had a right to be there. But was that really how he wanted to see Malfoy after all these years?</p>
<p>With another sigh, he pushed himself up from the desk and made his way over to the fireplace. He was just going to keep talking himself in circles without a voice of reason. He threw a handful of floo powder into the low burning fire and then stuck his head in as the flames turned green, praying his friends were still awake.</p>
<p>“Harry, what are you doing up so late?” his best friend chided immediately. He smiled up at the woman sitting on the couch in front of the fire he hovered in. Her brown bushy hair had been pulled up into a messy bun and she was wearing a pair of well worn, Cannon pajamas that he knew her husband had got her many Christmases ago. In front of her on the coffee table sat two empty wine glasses.</p>
<p>“Hey Hermione,” Harry greeted a little sheepishly. He knew his friends were probably enjoying their last night alone before their kids returned home for the summer, but they still had their clothes on. They could put up with him for a few minutes. “Sorry to bother you.”</p>
<p>“You’re no bother, Harry. You know that. What’s going on?”</p>
<p>“Hey, mate!” a distant voice chirped a happy greeting and Harry managed to turn his head in time to see his other best friend stroll through the door with a full bottle of wine. “Is it the invitation then?”</p>
<p>“What invitation?” Hermione asked, her brow furrowing as she looked between her husband and her friend. Her expression told Harry she already knew, but he appreciated her feigned ignorance anyway.</p>
<p>“Malfoy sent Harry an invitation to Lily’s wedding,” Ron said nonchalantly as he dropped onto the couch beside his wife. He set the wine bottle onto the table and then leaned back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Even as Hermione looked at Harry with something akin to worry, she settled right into Ron’s side and the sight made Harry’s stomach drop.</p>
<p>Harry didn’t usually begrudge his friends their happiness. He was glad that even after all these years they were still so in love. But on nights like tonight, it made him think of his own failed marriage and why it failed; and he just ended up feeling lonelier than ever.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you come through? I’ll summon another glass,” Hermione said, but she was already waving her hand for the aforementioned glass before Harry could protest. With a sigh, he stepped through.</p>
<p>“I may have already had a bit of whiskey,” he admitted quietly as he brushed the soot out of his hair. With another sigh, he dropped unceremoniously into the chair beside the couch and took the proffered glass of wine with a tight smile. Hermione chose to ignore his statement.</p>
<p>“So, he really sent you an invitation?” Hermione asked and Harry nodded. “And I take it you’re not sure if you should go?” Harry nodded again. Hermione pursed her lips and swirled her glass thoughtfully.</p>
<p>“Bill and Fleur will be there, on account of Victoire,” Ron said against the lip of his glass. “So you’ll probably know someone.”</p>
<p>Harry had gotten over that weirdness years ago. Victoire had spent a little bit of time with the Malfoy girl when they were younger, but the pair had bonded quickly being in the same year at Hogwarts. Even if they had been in separate houses.</p>
<p>“Luna will be there too,” Hermione said with a nod and Harry smiled. He would always be fond of his eccentric friend.</p>
<p>“And probably ‘Dromeda,” Ron reminded him, pointing a finger in Harry’s direction. “Even if Malfoy does still blame her for Lily being a Hufflepuff.” Ron laughed at his own joke.</p>
<p>Harry never got over that weirdness. Ron hadn’t gone back to school with Harry and Hermione for their eighth year. He had taken up with George in his shop, so he had never quite become as friendly with Malfoy or the other Slytherins as his friends had. Ron had later taken to watching his niece Victoire for Bill on slow weekdays and because of Harry’s relationship with Andromeda after the war, he had ended up taking on Teddy at times too so that Andromeda could run errands or have time to herself. When Andromeda and Narcissa had begun to mend their fences almost a year after Harry had taken his NEWTs, and Malfoy’s daughter had started spending time with the grandmothers, Ron had ultimately ended up taking the little girl as well. After all, she was Teddy’s <em>favorite</em> cousin and he refused to be separated from her when she was there. And Ron would do anything for Andromeda. It wasn’t really much of a choice in the end.</p>
<p>Malfoy didn’t live in the country, so it wasn’t often; and Ron had said they never kept in touch otherwise. But eventually, the pair had developed a bit of a friendship over the years and Ron actually had information to share just what the blonde had been doing with his time since school. Hermione always gave him such pointed looks when Ron began to bring it up in front of Harry, but he usually pretended to be oblivious and share the jokes and anecdotes he had anyways. It never stopped being weird, but if anyone knew that Harry looked forward to hearing the tortuous information anyway, they never said anything. Ginny had always watched him when Ron was talking, though. He didn’t know it at the time, but she made sure he knew when she left.</p>
<p>“What if it’s a mistake?” Harry asked.</p>
<p>“It probably will be, but I can’t stand another twenty years of ‘what ifs,’ mate,” Ron said with a wince. Hermione turned a glare on him.</p>
<p>“Ron!” she chastised him, smacking him on the arm with the back of her hand, and Ron just grinned a little sheepishly and shrugged. Then Hermione turned back to Harry and offered an apologetic smile. “He’s right, though.”</p>
<p>“Hey!” Harry protested, but he couldn’t stop the laugh. This is what his friends were for. They were always honest, even if it was for their own benefit, even if it did really suck to hear.</p>
<p>“When’s the wedding?” Hermione asked, as though she didn’t already know. Harry knew there was nothing Ron knew that he didn’t tell Hermione. There was no doubt in his mind she didn’t know about the floo call Harry had had with Ron earlier that day when he had first received the invitation.</p>
<p>“End of September,” Harry said. He took a big sip of wine in the silence that followed. It was good, but he wished he had brought his whiskey.</p>
<p>“Alright, so your kids will be in school, you have plenty of paid time off available, and you can go see the Potters while you’re there. Make a trip of it,” Hermione said. Harry took another long sip of wine.</p>
<p>Tracing his father’s lineage had been what took him to Greece all those years ago in the first place. He hadn’t had many opportunities over the years to go and see the few family he had found, but they often kept in touch by owl. Maybe Hermione was right. Even if the wedding went tits up, seeing his family would at least sweeten the ending.</p>
<p>“I’ll write them in the morning,” Harry decided. Ron and Hermione shared a look that spoke volumes to them, but which Harry only understood to mean that they were concerned about him. Some silent conversations he could pick up on, but he had never quite picked up on the ones they shared about him.</p>
<p>“You can floo us day or night,” Hermione reminded him. “We’ll pay the international fees.”</p>
<p>“You don’t have to do that, ‘Moine, but thank you,” Harry said with a tired smile. He set his empty wine glass down and stood, stretching his long limbs. “Alright, that’s that then. I’ll RSVP in the morning. What’s the worst that could happen?” Ron and Hermione shared another look.</p>
<p>Harry said his goodnights and then floo’d back home. He still had to set up the boys’ rooms and route his way into London for pickup. But his whiskey glass was still full. So with another sigh, he sat back down at his desk and began to trace the delicate gold lettering again. The boys wouldn’t be home until the late afternoon, after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. three possible dads</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Benny Andersson, the island’s only resident African gray, was a sixty-year-old enigma on Kalokairi. No one was quite sure how he got there or who he belonged to, but he was often found quoting Abba songs to the delight of tourists and the annoyance of residents.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>chapter 2: three possible dads</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>10 April 1999</em>
</p>
<p><em>Draco stood outside the jewelry store, willing his feet to go inside. But he was frozen just outside the store, staring in as Harry moved along the counter unaware of his presence. This was it. This was really happening. Pansy had said that Harry mentioned something about ring shopping before Ginevra’s big game – the one the scouts would be at – but Draco had never really considered it. Had never really </em>let <em>himself consider it. And now his chest was tightening and it felt difficult to breathe as he watched Harry bend over and point at something inside a glass case.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Harry straightened up and glanced towards the door then as the jeweler opened the case to take out all Harry had been looking at. Their eyes met and Harry’s smile was blinding as the boy lifted his hand and frantically waved Draco in. Smoothing his features over to the best of his ability, he forced a smile onto his face and entered the shop.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Being a brunette does not suit you,” Draco greeted him as he strode over to the counter. Harry grinned at him, lifting his hands to his glamoured hair to flatten it. Despite his magic, nothing was hiding the mess on Harry’s head and Draco had learned it was a nervous tick every time Harry tried to fix it. Draco swatted the boy’s hands away and gently ran his own fingers through the thick brown locks to fix what little mess he could. “Maybe the Auror program will teach you how to hide your hair better.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>When Harry didn’t respond, Draco’s hand dropped to his side as he met Harry’s intent gaze. The boy had made some minor adjustments to hide his face, had managed to hide his scar, but his eyes were still the brilliant green that bore right through Draco on a regular basis. And now those eyes were looking at him, widened pupils almost swallowing them, and Draco had to force himself to take a step back.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“So this is really happening then?” Draco tried, turning his gaze to the cushion of rings that had been placed on top of the counter. The jeweler was watching them closely, expectantly, but staying quiet as they looked over the rings.</em>
</p>
<p><em>“Y-yeah,” Harry said, stumbling over the word as if he hadn’t been expecting the question. “Unless…”</em> </p>
<p>
  <em>Draco’s head whipped around, his gaze jumping from the glistening rings back to Harry’s face. The boy had a light flush to his cheeks and he was looking at Draco with mild confusion and just a bit of nervousness. He picked at a loose string on the sleeve of his jumper, but his gaze never looked away from Draco. If anything, his green gaze roved over the blonde’s face as though trying to read him without any words.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Unless?” Draco finally prompted, swallowing the sudden lump that had lodged itself in his throat.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Unless you…unless you think there might be any reason why I shouldn’t?” Harry changed his question halfway through, as though losing his courage at the last moment. It was so unlike him. For a brief moment, hope began to swirl around the pit of his stomach, but almost immediately Draco pushed it back down. This was Harry. Incredibly straight, totally in love with his soon-to-be-fiancé Harry. He was just nervous that Ginevra might not say yes. It was normal.</em>
</p>
<p><em>“You have nothing to worry about,” Draco reassured him. “Ginevra will say yes, and her mother will host an entirely too large wedding and you’ll live happily ever after with a gaggle of red headed children.”</em> </p>
<p><em>“You don’t want a large wedding?” Harry blurted out. It seemed like a weird piece to focus on. Draco lifted his brow. “That seems so unlike you. I mean, you’re a little flashy. I expected you would want something grand.”</em> </p>
<p>
  <em>“Merlin, no,” Draco protested immediately, too overwhelmed by the idea to be properly offended that Harry had just called him an ultra ponce. “I don’t have to have a dramatic wedding just because I’m gay, Potter.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“That’s not what I meant!”</em>
</p>
<p><em>“Then what did you mean?”</em> </p>
<p><em>“I just meant…I don’t know what I meant. What kind of wedding do you want then?” Draco looked back at the rings and reached out, trailing a long finger over the rim of the closest one. He shrugged.</em> </p>
<p>
  <em>“I don’t know. If there had to be a wedding, I’d be ok with something small. No more than a dozen people, really, maybe two. But if I’m being entirely honest, I don’t want anyone else there. I like the idea of just running off one day somewhere warm and spending a week talking about how we’re going to get down to the beach and then only getting out of bed once for a really short ceremony.” Harry laughed and when Draco looked up at him again, Harry was looking back like he wanted to say something. But the moment stretched on and he didn’t. “It doesn’t matter anyway. No one will marry me.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What about Theo?” Draco shrugged again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“We both know this is only for now, Potter. He can’t very well align himself with me long term now, can he? Not while I’m a Malfoy, and that won’t ever change.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“That’s not right.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s realistic.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They browsed rings in silence after that. The jeweler remained professional, didn’t even once side-eye Draco. Draco was grateful for it, imagined this was why Harry had chosen this Hogsmeade jeweler in the first place. He stopped at the opposite end of Harry when a red glint caught his eye. Tucked away in the back of the case was a small gold ring – a half carat round diamond in the center adorned with a smaller round ruby placed on either side of it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Harry, here,” Draco called, and the jeweler pulled the ring as Harry wandered over. He grinned down at the ring as he picked it up.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s perfect,” he said, and Draco smirked.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s very Gryffindor,” Draco drawled, and Harry turned his grin on Draco. And before Draco could ask what Harry was doing, before Harry could think about what he was doing, Harry grabbed Draco’s left hand and slid the ring on. It fit perfectly. Draco gaped down at it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s perfect,” Harry whispered again, still holding Draco’s hand. His thumb brushed over Draco’s knuckles, running along the ridge of the ring, and Draco stared down at the movement. He could feel his heart rate pick up and his stomach fluttered like he had just swallowed some of Hagrid’s doxies.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Why?” Draco finally managed to get out, and it came out a little strangled. Harry met his gaze again, the shorter boy’s cheeks flaming a deep red. He quickly dropped Draco’s hand but made no move to get the ring back.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I, er, wanted to see it on,” Harry stumbled over his words again. “And my skin tone’s too dark.” Right, of course. That’s all it was. Draco wondered if Harry could tell that his smile was tight, but he just slipped the ring off and held it out to Harry.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“She’ll love it,” Draco reassured him once again. And then Draco had to excuse himself, said he’d wait outside while Harry paid.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You two are a lovely couple,” he heard the jeweler tell Harry as he walked back to the door. Harry laughed.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh no,” Harry said quickly. “We’re just friends.” Draco’s chest tightened again, but he stepped out the door and didn’t hear anything else.</em>
</p>
<p><br/>~ ~ ~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>24 September 2019</p>
<p>The warm breeze ruffled his long hair, tousling the strands that had fallen loose from his ponytail, and though he might have once been frustrated with how the weather affected his hair, he had already spent the morning ruining it with sweat-inducing labor, so he really didn’t think twice about the wind. He welcomed it instead, rocking back and forth on his feet as he waited for the boat to come in. It was quick to depart, but it always took its sweet time docking. He knew how unpleasant the rocking could get as the motor turned off and the boat glided just a little awkwardly through the shallow water. He could just imagine his friend squawking loudly through bouts of nausea about how undignified traveling by boat was, how he should have taken her up on her offer to just buy him an island and let her pay to connect it to the international floo.</p>
<p>He could see the relief on the passenger’s faces from here as the boat began to empty. Even the locals that regularly sailed back and forth between the continent or Naxos found Elliott’s driving and docking skills just a little bit rough. The man’s wild appearance coupled with his nonchalant attitude towards certain death reminded him a lot of Stanley Shunpike from the Knight Bus. He was just beginning to wonder if the scruffy bean of a man was still working on the bus when a sharply dressed woman stepped off the boat, followed by a shorter, more brightly dressed one. He grinned and lifted his hand to wave their attention over.</p>
<p>He barely had time to say hello to the rapidly approaching women before they were both throwing themselves at him, wrapping their arms around him and squeezing him tight. They were acting as though they hadn’t seen him in years, despite having seen him months ago. Though, with everything going on, he supposed he hadn’t had time to floo them as regularly as he usually did. The women stepped back, both holding him at arm’s length so they could look at him as much as he was scrutinizing them.</p>
<p>“Daphne, Pans, I’m so glad you’re here,” he said with a fond smile, reaching up to rest his hands over theirs and squeezing them tight.</p>
<p>Pansy had grown her sleek, black hair out over the years. It hung loose down her back despite the heat, curling slightly at the bottom. Her muggle style clothes were always high class and fashionable, though she rarely ever strayed from whites, blacks, and grays. Her outfit even now lacked color. The woman was almost as tall as him, her body just as long and lean, and he thought it always made her look sharp and dangerous. Daphne beside her was the complete opposite. She was short and a little heavier set, her long, honey brown hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. Her clothing style was still very nice, though more comfortable than Pansy’s, and she almost always wore bright colors. Today’s outfit was a very loud turquoise color, complemented with matching jewelry and shoes. Even her makeup was loud. His heart soared at the sight of them both. He was happy on this island, truly, but it could be lonely at times. Nothing staved off the lingering darkness like a nice long stay from his two best friends.</p>
<p>“It’s good to see you, Draco,” Daphne said with a returning smile, but Pansy looked like she was trying not to laugh.</p>
<p>“What on earth are you wearing?” she snickered, and Draco looked down with a frown. His trainers were a little worse for wear and one sleeve of his jean overalls had fallen off, showing the smudges of soil and grass stains on his white undershirt. Twenty years ago, he would have been horrified by his appearance. Twenty years ago, he also wouldn’t have ever dreamed of working with his hands instead of his magic on such a regular basis either.</p>
<p>“Someone has to do the gardening,” he simply said and then turned to make his way back to the hotel.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you hire someone to do that?” Daphne asked and Draco sighed as they made their way along the cobbled road. They had this conversation every time they came to visit. Surely one day they would give it a rest?</p>
<p>“I’m just barely able to pay for this wedding, no way I can pay someone to work here full time,” Draco said coolly. Drystone houses rose up out of the hills as they walked. They were all a stark white, but the natural island greenery alongside brightly colored shutters, curtains, and outdoor furniture stopped the scenery from looking so bleak.</p>
<p>“I wish you’d let me invest in this place,” Pansy said, and Draco paused to scowl at her.</p>
<p>“I don’t need your money, Pans. We get by just fine, thank you very much. Besides, Lily has this idea for putting us on the why fly interweb.”</p>
<p>“Internet,” Daphne corrected. Draco rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>“Right, well, she says Alexander can create a newspaper for our hotel. She seems to think it’ll drum up business.”</p>
<p>“Webpage, not newspaper. And for such a famous place in magical history, it’s amazing how few people actually know you’re here,” Daphne conceded. “I think Lily’s probably right. Once they see what they’re missing, they’ll pay a small fortune to come here. Greece doesn’t have many magical only communities.”</p>
<p>“I don’t want this place to turn into a tourist trap! Besides, I think they’ll see my name in association with the place and we’ll see even less people than before.”</p>
<p>“So don’t put your name on the website,” Pansy said simply. As if it were that simple. Draco scowled again, but Daphne must have noticed the tension in his shoulders because she immediately changed the subject.</p>
<p>“So how’s Lily? Is she excited?” Draco was never more grateful for his friend. At the thought of his daughter, he smiled.</p>
<p>“She’s still trying to find her ‘something old,’ but she’s never been happier. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that boy may actually be okay.” Daphne and Pansy both laughed. That was high praise coming from their blonde friend.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Lily? Where are you?”</p>
<p>“You in here, Malfoy?”</p>
<p>“Really, Vic? Can you never call her by her first name?”</p>
<p>“She’s a Malfoy and I’m a Weasley. It would go against everything my family stands for.”</p>
<p>“You’re best friends. Doesn’t that go against everything your family stands for?”</p>
<p>“I don’t expect <em>you</em> to understand, Lupin.”</p>
<p>“Lupin? Seriously? We used to fuck!”</p>
<p>“Used to being the keyword.”</p>
<p>“Guys, that’s <em>enough</em>!”</p>
<p>The bickering couple turned their glares away from the other and onto the blonde staring them down with her hands on her hips. Teddy’s expression softened and even Victoire’s shoulders relaxed and she rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“Lily!” Teddy said with excitement, and then bounded over to pick his still favorite cousin up and spin her around in a hug. She laughed. When he set her down, she was immediately pulled into the arms of her other best friend.</p>
<p>“No letters, no texts, no calls, what kind of best friend are you!” Victoire chastised even as she squeezed the small girl to her chest.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy,” Lily squeaked, unable to speak properly with her face smushed against Victoire, but her arms snuck around the curvy blonde anyway and she hugged her friend back tightly.</p>
<p>“That’s not an excuse,” Victoire huffed, finally letting her go. Lily grinned up at her, green eyes sparkling.</p>
<p>“It’s only been two weeks, Vic. Surely you can live without me for that long.”</p>
<p>“Never!”</p>
<p>Even though the girls had only spent a handful of days growing up together, playing whenever Lily was in England and Uncle Ron was responsible for everyone, no one had really expected them to bond quite like this. But then they started Hogwarts together and even though they were in different houses – Lily in Hufflepuff and Victoire in Slytherin – they were assigned a number of class projects together their first couple of years. By the time they were thirteen, they were practically inseparable. They had even taken to spending school breaks together a majority of the time. Even though their parents had made their peace more than a decade before, it had still been rather awkward for them at first. Lily and Victoire wouldn’t say their parents were exactly friends, even after all this time, but Lily’s father had put them on the guest list before she had. It was a moment she had celebrated over with Victoire.</p>
<p>Lily was short, much shorter than her father and grandmother and shorter than both of her best friends, though she had the lean Malfoy frame. There were some days where folks would tell her she looked just like her father and other days they were surprised to hear her last name. She was almost as blonde as him, though her hair was more golden in color and was a long, thick, mess of curls, a stark contrast to her father’s thin, easy to style hair. And while everyone in the Malfoy line seemed to have some shade of gray eyes, hers were spectacularly green. She was okay with this because she felt it made her and Victoire look almost like sisters. The taller, curvier girl had the same shade of golden blonde - a magical combination she said she had gotten from her mother’s white blonde hair and father’s red. Victoire’s eyes were a brilliant sea blue, not quite the same green, but the matching brightness coupled with the endless freckles speckling their faces always convinced strangers they could be sisters. Her father used to change the subject whenever she brought it up. Looking down at the box in her arms, she thought she might know why.</p>
<p>“What are you doing in here anyways? It’s so dark and musty,” Victoire said, wrinkling her nose with disgust as she looked around the dimly lit storage shed.</p>
<p>“I’ve been looking for something meaningful to have as my ‘something old,’” Lily explained. “I thought it might be nice to look through some of Dad’s family’s things.”</p>
<p>Both Victoire and Teddy raised their eyebrows at that and then turned to the other with a meaningful look. The couple had been split up for almost a year, this time. Their relationship had had a lot of passionate starts and angry stops since Victoire was fourteen and Teddy sixteen. The pair’s relationship had been nothing less than tumultuous over the years, but they always managed to maintain some semblance of friendship in between their breakups. Lily was usually the one to bring them around. And after all the pair had been through, it was almost as if they could communicate without talking. Lily hated it. Even if the three of them could often convey a wordless conversation, the private moments between the two when they were clearly silently talking about her annoyed her to no end. She wished every time she had just let their friendship wither away.</p>
<p>“And?” Teddy finally asked when the pair looked back at her. Lily sighed in frustration. Maybe she understood them just fine and maybe they just knew her as though they had known her almost her entire life (because they had, she reminded herself).</p>
<p>“And maybe I was hoping I might find something about my other dad,” Lily admitted sheepishly. Victoire rolled her eyes and Teddy smiled at her sadly.</p>
<p>“Are you ever going to give that up?” he asked, and Lily glared at him.</p>
<p>“Are you telling me that if one of your parents was out there somewhere that you would ever stop trying to find them?”</p>
<p>“Never,” Teddy declared firmly, a frown tugging at his lips. He always said it was cheating when Lily used that argument. He’d tell her she belonged in Slytherin. But before he could say anything else, she was shoving a box towards him. He looked down and read the neat, cursive label that was starting to fade, <em>‘do it for her, 1999’</em>.</p>
<p>“I found something,” Lily said before her friends could go on. Victoire raised a perfectly manicured brow at her. “I, uh, I think I know who my other dad is.”</p>
<p>“What!?” Teddy cried, pulling open the top. He frowned down at the contents.</p>
<p>There were a handful of small glass vials, each containing a thick swirling mist that would faintly glow every so often. A few odd souvenirs had been stashed in the box – an empty box of chocolates, a napkin from a restaurant in Naxos with a fading sketch of a dragon moving about on it, a pale blue seashell, and a movie theater ticket stub for <em>Runaway Bride</em>. The box also contained an old wand that looked like it hadn’t been used for years, a few newspaper clippings, and a scattering of photographs from when Lily’s father was pregnant with her.</p>
<p>“Well, I’ve narrowed it down, anyway,” Lily corrected herself, reaching in and taking out the glass vials. She handed them over one at a time to Victoire, who frowned down at the labels. There were five in total. <em>‘Athens, July 1999,’ ‘Naxos, August 1999,’ ‘Villa Ariadne, August 1999,’ ‘Theo, September 1999,’ and ‘Charlie, September 1999’</em> all looked up at them in neat, cramped writing. The labels were as faded as the one on the box’s cover.</p>
<p>“Narrowed it down?” Victoire repeated, narrowing her eyes at her friend. Lily began to look a little sheepish again.</p>
<p>“I’ve, uh, well, I’ve got <em>three</em> possible dads.”</p>
<p>Teddy dropped the box. Lily managed to stop its fall with a levitation charm at the last minute. One of the photographs floated out of the box and drifted to the floor, but no one seemed to notice. Teddy was too busy staring with his mouth wide open and Victoire was looking down at the vials as though she could see into the memories without a pensieve. Her lips were pursed in thought and Lily knew if she gave her friend a minute the girl would piece it together.</p>
<p>“Lily, did you send them all invitations?”</p>
<p>“Why would she do that!?” Teddy exclaimed at the same time as Lily nodded her head yes and said, “Sure did.” Teddy gaped at her again.</p>
<p>“Lily, I’m only going to ask this once, so I need you to be honest with me, ok?” Lily nodded. “Are you trying to Mamma Mia your way into finding out who your other dad is?” Lily bit her lip and looked down.</p>
<p>“Maybe,” she mumbled quietly, tapping the tip of her shoe lightly against the box that now rested safely on the floor.</p>
<p>“Oh my Godric, she is,” Teddy gasped, a strained giggle forcing its way past his lips. He lasted only moment and then he burst out laughing. Beside him, Victoire began to laugh too. Lily looked up to glare at them and then before she could stop herself, she was collapsing into giggles too. Her plan was straight out of a playbill; it all seemed so ridiculous. And yet.</p>
<p>“So who are they then? When do they come? What can we do?” Teddy asked as they began to calm down. Lily looked at them both with such fondness.</p>
<p>“You’re really going to help me with this, then?” Lily asked and they both looked at her like she had lost her mind for even thinking she had to ask before they nodded.</p>
<p>“Does Alex know?” Victoire asked carefully and Lily’s face flushed a bright pink.</p>
<p>“I haven’t told him, no,” Lily admitted. Victoire just nodded and leant down, dropping the vials into the box and picking it up before shoving the box back at Teddy to take.</p>
<p>“Is Theo Uncle Theo?” Victoire asked and Lily nodded. “Who is Charlie and who is the other one then?” Lily’s face flushed again.</p>
<p>“Uh, well, it’s Charlie Weasley and Harry Potter.”</p>
<p>“Holy shit.” Teddy dropped the box again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Shit. Shit. Shit.</em>
</p>
<p>He carried his duffel high on his shoulder as he leapt and slid through the crowd. He could see the boat still docked up ahead, but the steam pouring out of it let him know he had to <em>hurry the fuck up</em>.</p>
<p>“Wait! Please wait!” he shouted, trying to wave it down with his free hand as he pushed himself to move faster. He cursed this area for being so muggle he couldn’t just Apparate. He also cursed himself for getting so out of shape just because he wasn’t in the field anymore. None of it mattered though. The boat’s ramp had already been pulled back.</p>
<p>“Fuck!” He ignored the heated glares of passing parents and elderly. The boat was pulling out, he had missed it. He threw his duffel to the ground with an angry sigh. “Fuckity fuck fuck FUCK!”</p>
<p>“Are you alright, sir?” a tentative voice called out to him. He looked up and met the anxious gaze of the teen ticket attendant, nervously managing the stand by herself. He looked down and saw the sparkle of the teen’s name badge, the little boat on it sailing across her name, and he knew he could ask her about the Kalokairi schedule.</p>
<p>“Sorry, can you tell me when the next boat to Kalokairi is?” he asked, making sure his voice sounded as gentle and patient as possible. The girl smiled at him.</p>
<p>“Nine am tomorrow, sir,” she chirped. His face fell. He supposed he could get a hotel for the night, get here bright and early instead. But he was so excited, so eager to get to the island and…meet the bride. The ticket clerk must have seen something in his face because she pointed towards a small boat still docked and only just starting to get ready to leave. “You can always try him – said he was going to Kalokairi when he rented the whole boat.”</p>
<p>He was already slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder before the girl had finished speaking. He waved a brief thank you without looking back, but then a flash of red hair on the boat’s deck caught his attention. He saw the steam go up and he pushed himself faster.</p>
<p>“Hey! Hey there!” he called out, coming to a halt on the edge of the dock. The man in the steering loft stuck his head out and the man on the dock’s mouth dropped open. “Charlie?”</p>
<p>“Hey, Harry!” Charlie called down with a grin. He slid down the ladder to the deck and exited the covered portion, coming to rest his arms on the side. “What are you doing out here?”</p>
<p>“I, uh, I was invited to the Malfoy-Wood wedding on Kalokairi,” Harry said, running a hand through his messy hair. “I kind of just missed the last boat.” Charlie threw his head back and laughed, the sun brightening his thick, shoulder-length hair.</p>
<p>“I’m heading there now. Get in,” Charlie said, waving to the gate at the other end of the boat. Harry threw his duffel over the side and then walked down to the gate. He opened it and made the short jump from the dock to the boat, not wanting to delay Charlie by pulling out the ramp. It was a nice boat, Harry thought as he looked around. Small, but well suited to Charlie for however long he was using it for. It was a thirty-one-foot fishing boat, with a small loft over the covered portion of the deck where the steering platform was located. A short stairwell beside the ladder led to a magically enlarged cabin just below where Harry was sure a bed was located.</p>
<p>“Why are you going to Kalokairi?” Harry asked once he was settled and the boat began to head off.</p>
<p>“I got an invitation too,” Charlie said with a shrug. He took his hand off the steering wheel to point towards a cooler nearby. “I have some Piraikis in the cooler. Pass me one.”</p>
<p>Harry pulled out the two bottles of lager and opened them, passing one to Charlie. He sat down on the bench closest to the steering loft, picking slowly at the black label on the bottle.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know you were friends with Draco,” Harry mused aloud. When he glanced up at his ginger friend, the man was focused entirely on the sea before them, but a wide grin split his face in two.</p>
<p>“I’m not,” he said, shrugging and taking a long sip from his beer. “I didn’t know you were friends with him either.”</p>
<p>“I’m not,” Harry confessed. Charlie’s brows raised in surprise, before furrowing in a more thoughtful manner. Harry pushed on, “Are you here for Oliver and Marcus, then?”</p>
<p>“No, Oliver and I were never really that close. Even if we did play together on the quidditch team for a few years, he was always closer to Percy.”</p>
<p>“Is Percy coming?”</p>
<p>“Oh no! Percy stopped talking to Oliver when he came out with Marcus.”</p>
<p>“You’re shitting me.”</p>
<p>“It wasn’t about the gay thing. It was the Marcus thing.”</p>
<p>“That’s still ridiculous!” Charlie shrugged.</p>
<p>“Marcus was a bully. Wasn’t easy for Percy to get past.” Harry frowned.</p>
<p>“‘Mione and Ron got over Draco, and he was way worse,” Harry said before taking a long swig of his lager.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but you didn’t start fucking him now, did you?” Harry started choking on his beer and Charlie looked at him a little too knowingly.</p>
<p>“But, uh, no, Percy won’t be there,” Charlie thankfully changed the subject. “Bill and Fleur will be though.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I know that. I guess Vic and Lily are good friends.”</p>
<p>“<em>Good</em> friends? They’ve been practically glued at the hip since the end of first year.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t know that. How do you know that?”</p>
<p>“Bill and I write each other. I keep up on Vic.”</p>
<p>“So…so what do you know about Lily?” Charlie looked back at him, flashing another knowing look.</p>
<p>“She’s a good kid. Never met her, but I’ve heard all about her from Vic. From what I know, Draco did a good job raising her by himself. Or he got really lucky.” Charlie laughed at his own joke.</p>
<p>“By himself? What happened to her mom?”</p>
<p>“There is no mom.”</p>
<p>Before Harry had a chance to respond, to find out more, Charlie was suddenly pressing on the horn and the loud, rich noise the boat produced was muting everything else. Harry stood up to look out over the island as Charlie began to pull into the port. It had been twenty years since he had last set foot in Kalokairi, and his heart twisted with the influx of memories. The island remained mostly unchanged – still white stone houses built up among the green, rolling hills with the hotel perched at the top of this side of the island. But the place seemed busier now, more alive. And even from here, Harry could see that the little hotel he had spent three memorable weeks in had grown significantly from the last time he saw it. His smile as he looked up was wistful, a little bittersweet. He was such an idiot back then, Harry thought.</p>
<p>A flash of red hair from the dock below pulled his attention. Standing at the dock Charlie was mooring in, a trio of teenagers stood waving up at them. Harry recognized two of them immediately – his godson and his niece. The third then, shifting anxiously from foot to foot between them, must be Lily Malfoy. Harry’s breathing stopped.</p>
<p>The girl wasn’t an exact replica of Draco but looking at her there was no doubt in Harry’s mind just who she belonged to. Her blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun, errant curls framing her face by accident with the wild directions they faced. Green eyes gazed eagerly back at him, the freckles on the girl’s face even more apparent from time spent in the summer sun. But her features were sharp, her body lean and her movements graceful. Harry suddenly wondered what she looked like when she was a small child, as a baby. She looked far too young to be getting married, Harry thought. Harry began to breathe again when he looked back over at his godson who was waving excitedly at him, hair bright red in greeting. Victoire leaned over to whisper something to Lily and the shorter girl’s face turned thoughtful as she nodded in reply.</p>
<p>“Harry, I wasn’t expecting you on this boat!” Teddy called out as the boat came to a stop. He was the first to reach Harry as he exited, throwing his arms around him in a tight hug. Harry grinned and hugged him back. The boy was taller than him now, something their family constantly made fun of Harry for.</p>
<p>“James and Al are so jealous that I’m here with you,” Harry told him before pulling back from the hug and pulling Victoire into one. The blonde sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes at him, but she hugged him back anyways.  “Are your parents here yet, Vic?”</p>
<p>“No, they’ll be here Thursday,” Victoire said. She turned to hug Charlie much more willingly and Harry feigned offense. Then Teddy cleared his throat and Harry turned to look at where the now-blue-haired boy was standing with his arm around the other blonde.</p>
<p>“Harry, Uncle Charlie, this is my friend Lily,” Teddy announced. “Lily, this is my godfather Harry and my uncle Charlie.” The girl stepped forward, large grin on her face, and held her hand out to Harry.</p>
<p>“It’s so good to finally meet you,” she said, her voice soft and a little unsure. Harry raised his brows, having expected the Malfoy kid to be as confident as the man had been when Harry had first met him.</p>
<p>“You as well,” Harry said, releasing her hand so she could shake Charlie’s. She seemed to look at the taller man with a little more awe, before looking back and forth between him and Harry thoughtfully, as though she were suddenly scrutinizing them. “I must admit, I was a little surprised to get an invitation from your father at all, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to be here. Where, uh, where is he?”</p>
<p>“Actually, about that,” Teddy started, running his hand through his hair. It was a nervous tick he had picked up from Harry. Victoire was looking at Teddy with a narrowed gaze and Lily was looking at the ground, a flush creeping up her face. The expression reminded Harry a lot of Ginny, back when they were in school.</p>
<p>“What did you do?” Harry directed his question to Teddy, who gaped and immediately pointed his finger at Lily.</p>
<p>“<em>I</em> didn’t do anything!” he protested and Victoire smacked his hand down, glaring at her boyfriend? ex-boyfriend? Harry couldn’t keep up. Lily took a deep breath and all attention turned on her.</p>
<p>“I sent the invitations,” Lily explained, her voice so quiet they all had to lean in to hear her. She cleared her throat and looked up from the ground, her expression almost pleading. “Dad doesn’t know I sent them.”</p>
<p>“<em>What?</em>” Harry wasn’t sure he heard her right. Draco had no idea he was there? <em>Fuck.</em></p>
<p>“I just thought it might be a nice surprise,” Lily continued, and Harry looked at her as though she had grown two more heads.</p>
<p>“What would give you that idea?”</p>
<p>“It’s just that he’s talked about you both so much–”</p>
<p>“He has, has he?” Charlie chimed in, a frown tugging at his lips even as his eyes sparkled in amusement.</p>
<p>“–and he’s always talking about reconnecting with his old mates. It’s just, Dad’s done so much for me and I thought, ‘wouldn’t that be a wonderful surprise, for him to see you all at my wedding.’”</p>
<p>“Really?” Charlie mused, sounding a little distant as he passed Harry his duffel bag.</p>
<p><em>Well, I couldn’t exactly have sent them an invitation saying, ‘Come to my wedding, you might be my other dad!’</em>, Lily thought, wincing a little at the fact that the idea <em>had</em> actually crossed her mind. Victoire would tell her she was being a Hufflepuff if she knew. Instead Lily replied with, “Yes, really. He’ll be so excited to see you."</p>
<p>Charlie’s brows rose as he looked at Lily, but slowly he broke out into a grin. Harry just gaped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Draco pulled his hair up into a messy bun as he walked, grumbling about how unappreciative Pansy was of the work he had been putting into the hotel in favor of discussing his fashion sense. <em>Who cares that my outfit was too plebian for her</em>, he thought with a huff.</p>
<p>His grumbling was cut off short by a loud rumble, followed quickly by the ground beginning to shake. A group of cries sounded not far off. Cursing his luck, he ignored every instinct telling him to find cover and broke out into a run. By the time he was sprinting into the hotel's atrium, the shaking and rumbling had stopped. But a small group of locals were stood in varying stages of fear and agitation, crowding around a new crack that spanned the length of almost the entire floor.</p>
<p>“Is everyone ok?” he asked, approaching the group. They looked to him and all began talking at once. He let out a sigh of relief. They were all perfectly fine.</p>
<p>“<em>No</em>, we are not <em>okay</em>,” an indignant voice rose above the rest before its owner pushed through the crowd to stand before Draco, hands on her hips and lips twisted into a sneer. Draco rolled his eyes, his lips twitching as he bit back a smile. Four long scars trailed down one side of her face, pulsing an angry red to match her irritation. Draco had always found it just a tad endearing. It was just so…Gryffindor.</p>
<p>“Are you hurt?” Draco asked and this time the woman rolled her eyes, reaching up to brush curly blonde hair from her face.</p>
<p>“Of course not,” she scoffed, and Draco smirked.</p>
<p>“Then what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“There’s a crack in our bloody atrium is what’s wrong and half the guests are arriving tomorrow!” Draco rolled his eyes again.</p>
<p>“So fix it,” he said, and began to head towards his room. A strong grip on his shoulder pulled him back and spun him around. The ragged scars were redder than before.</p>
<p>“<em>Fix it</em>? That’s not my bloody job!”</p>
<p>“Then we’ll refund the bride and groom for their trouble.”</p>
<p>“You’re not funny!”</p>
<p>“I thought it was very clever.”</p>
<p>“Draco, we have to do something about this. What if next time it’s the wall? Or the ceiling?”</p>
<p>“It’s from the spring. We both know that. We don’t know why it’s acting up, so we’re just going to have to call Basia and Sandrin.”</p>
<p>“I don’t have time to call them today.”</p>
<p>“Ask Greg to do it.” She gave him a very pointed look and he sighed. “Alright, I’ll call them. Does Greg have everything he needs?”</p>
<p>“I think so. He’s nearly finished the prep-work. Between the wedding and the regular guests, he’s never been more frazzled but I’m managing it.”</p>
<p>“You’re a love, Lavender.” She grinned at him.</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p>When Draco had taken over the hotel, he had begged and pleaded with Gregory Goyle to come run his kitchen. Nearly two decades later and Greg would always insist he came and stayed for Lily, <em>not </em>for Draco. But Draco was his best man; Lily had merely been a “junior groomsman,” Draco would always remind Greg. If you had told Draco fifteen years ago that he would be working happily alongside Lavender Brown, let alone best man at her wedding to his mate Greg, he would have died laughing from the lack of air. As it happened, on one of Greg’s trips back to the continent, he had somehow ended up having coffee with the blonde werewolf. And then dinner. And then drinks. And before Draco knew it, Greg was sending love letters almost daily. Draco had told him at the time that it was absolutely sickening, but he had written to Pansy and Daphne about how cute it all actually was.</p>
<p>Lavender hadn’t come back for eighth year – hadn’t been allowed to, as Draco would later find out. It seemed Dumbledore was the only one capable of going to bat for werewolves, no matter the Order of Merlin Lavender had received for her part in the Final Battle. So when Lavender ultimately came to visit them, things between her and Draco were incredibly awkward. They hadn’t yet aired their grievances. But then she met Lily and Draco told her everything and now he had two permanently local friends to pester him about taking care of himself for the rest of his days.</p>
<p>Draco took a moment now to look at his Executive Events Coordinator – his only events coordinator, really, but Lavender had <em>insisted </em>on the title. Her scars had faded with her annoyance to a soft pink, nearly blending in with her flushed skin. She still had the round face he remembered from school, the same curvy build and handsome features. The differences now were in the years of weariness of her shoulders and the lines of age in her face. She was as fearless as she ever was, though, and for the last thirteen years her strong, authoritative demeanor had been really good for Greg and Draco and the Villa Ariadne. She had been a positive influence on Lily too– Draco wasn’t exactly comfortable asking his mother to have “the talk” with his daughter, after all.</p>
<p>“Are you doing okay today? Don’t push yourself on my account,” Draco said, frowning at her too-tired appearance. She had been running herself ragged for him and for Lily. Lavender barked out a laugh; Draco reminded himself to treat Lavender and Greg to a long vacation after this.</p>
<p>“If you finish stocking the rooms on the east side with towels, I’ll be more than alright,” Lavender said, pushing a cart Draco only just realized she had towards him. He groaned but took it all the same. “Hey! You said not to push myself on your account.”</p>
<p>“I was being polite,” Draco grumbled, but he was already wheeling the cart off. Lavender laughed behind him.</p>
<p>While Daphne and Pansy were settling into their rooms, Draco was helping to get the rooms on the opposite side of the hotel ready for their guests. They were expecting well over two hundred people for the wedding, all told, and Draco was beginning to regret not taking Pansy up on her offer to invest. What he wouldn’t give for a full staff, right now. A chattering from above pulled his attention from his thoughts and Draco looked up at the tall, gray bird perched on the wall across from the room he was about to step into.</p>
<p>“Mamma Mia, there I go again,” the bird croaked at him, followed by a whistle and Draco rolled his eyes. The aptly dubbed Benny Andersson, the island’s only resident African gray, was a sixty-year-old enigma on Kalokairi. No one was quite sure how he got there or who he belonged to, but he was often found quoting Abba songs to the delight of tourists and the annoyance of residents. It seemed Abba lyrics were the only words the bird knew, which had delighted the Villa Ariadne’s previous owner endlessly. It was for this reason alone that Draco had a soft spot for the bird. And perhaps Benny had been his only real company at times over the years, though he would never tell anyone that.</p>
<p>“What are you up to today, Benny?” Draco asked as he unlocked door number twelve, pushing into the darkened guest room. It was spacious, with a large king bed taking up more than half the room, the rest occupied by a desk, a small fridge with a coffee maker above it, and a sliding glass doorway to its balcony. The hotel had a few suites, but the majority of the rooms looked just like this one, some perhaps with two queen beds in place of the one king. Draco snagged an armful of towels from his cart and headed to the closet outside the bathroom. Benny followed him into the room.</p>
<p>“Mamma Mia, does it show again?” the bird asked, and Draco snickered. What an odd choice in song, he thought.</p>
<p>And because luck was never on Draco’s side and of course Benny would always have terrible timing, a very familiar mop of black hair popped up in the window opposite the door. Walking in Draco’s direction. <em>Shit. What the bloody hell is he doing here?</em></p>
<p>Panicking, because <em>Harry bloody Potter</em> was approaching the open door to the room Draco was currently stood in, Draco did the only thing a person with everything to lose could possibly do. He snatched up Benny into his arms and shut themselves into the small, dark closet.</p>
<p>Draco cursed his absolutely terrible decision a moment later when footsteps told him Harry was walking into that room. He heard his old classmate mumble something about the door being open before a distinctly familiar voice called out, “Hello?” Draco, as smart as he ever was, kept totally quiet.</p>
<p>“Must be next door,” Harry said to himself, and Draco could hear him setting down a bag, followed by a zipper. Hiding in that tiny, cramped closet, Draco wished a lot of things. He wished he had never agreed to stock towels. He wished he had never agreed to let Lavender take over booking as part of the wedding. He wished he had brought his wand or even his phone with him. He also wished he had never taken Benny into the closet with him.</p>
<p>“I’ve been broken-hearted,” Benny sang to Draco.</p>
<p>“Shhhh!” Draco tried hushing the bird, trying to wrangle his beak closed. The bird squawked and fluttered his wings.</p>
<p>“Blue since the day we parted,” Benny crooned as he swept his wings along the door.</p>
<p>“The fuck?” a voice from the room broke through Draco’s struggle with the bird, reminding him who he was hiding in the closet from in the first place.</p>
<p>“Benny, shut up!” Draco hissed, wrapping his arms tightly against the bird to keep his wings still.</p>
<p>“Why did I ever let you go?” Benny squawked with such vehemence, Draco was sure Benny had been conspiring against him from the beginning.</p>
<p>The closet door swung open and Draco stumbled out, the bird twisting its way out of his grasp. Benny ruffled his feathers wide and bobbed his head at Draco with a particularly offended squawk before flying over to perch on the towel cart. Draco cleared his throat, straightened his <em>stupid</em> overalls, and turned to face the stupidly better dressed Golden Boy.</p>
<p>“Potter, what are you doing here?” Draco said coolly, lifting his face so he could look down his nose at the boy – man, he corrected himself. Because fuck, of course the boy of his childhood was now the most spectacularly gorgeous man Draco had ever seen. Taller than the last time he had laid eyes on the scrawny boy, the man before him now stood with broad shoulders and lingering muscles down his arms and back. His stomach was perhaps not as flat as it had once been, but it just made him look comfortably fitted in his casual jeans and red t-shirt. His thick black hair was the same as it ever was, albeit long enough that some of the curls fell over his eyes and Draco had to hold himself back from reaching out and tucking it back. Damn it all to hell that he was still so pathetically besotted with the speccy git. And of course the bronze man’s glasses were now a stylish square frame that fit his face and covered the ever the same intense green stare.</p>
<p>“How can I resist you?” Benny suddenly crooned from the doorway, pulling both Draco and apparently Harry from their examination of the other. Draco felt a flush creeping up his neck, but he ignored it in favor of clearing his throat and looking at Harry pointedly from where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.</p>
<p>“This is my room. What are you doing here?” Harry finally responded, his expression unreadable.</p>
<p>“I’m restocking towels,” Draco said, waving to the pile of towels that sat on the table beside the closet as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. He decidedly ignored the fact that he had come out of the closet hugging a bird. “I <em>meant</em>, what are you doing in Kalokairi?”</p>
<p>“I’m here for– erm, that is,” Harry stumbled, looking suddenly nervous as he ran both hands through his hair. He took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself, dropping his hands to his side. “I’m on vacation. I’m here for leisure.”</p>
<p>“Wonderful, that’s wonderful,” Draco said, his voice tight as he clenched his hands into fists at his side. He could feel his heart trying to pound its way out of his rib cage, could feel the bile begin to rise in his throat. “Will, uh, will Mrs. Potter be joining us?” Harry’s mouth dropped open.</p>
<p>“No,” he said and then fell silent. Something close to relief began to creep into Draco inch by inch, but the longer Harry went on saying nothing the heavier his heart felt.</p>
<p>“Very well then,” Draco said, turning to quickly stuff the towels into the closet. Then he closed the doors and made a bee line for the open door.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know you still worked here,” Harry blurted out, halting Draco’s progress out of the room. Draco scoffed.</p>
<p>“I don’t just work here, I <em>own</em> the hotel, Potter,” Draco sneered, turning back to the still-shorter man. Harry’s brows raised and his mouth fell open in shock. It seemed he knew about as much as was going on with Draco as Draco knew was going on with him.</p>
<p>Well, that wasn’t strictly true. Sometimes he came up in conversation when Andromeda or Teddy came to visit. The last twenty years hadn’t been a completely Potter-free world. He’d heard bits and pieces. He hadn’t been allowed to forget, no matter how much he used to hope for it. But Draco was older now and wiser now and he had more important priorities to focus on.</p>
<p>“I don’t know how long you intend to be here, but my daughter is getting married this Saturday so I would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly <em>stay out of my way</em>,” Draco said coolly, scowling as harshly as he could. Weirdly, his words only seemed to melt the man in front of him, Harry’s shoulders relaxing as a lazy smile crept onto his face.</p>
<p>“She’s a great kid,” Harry said softly. “You did a good job with her, Draco.”</p>
<p>“You met her?” Draco practically whispered. He really should have been surprised they hadn’t met any sooner, considering one of her best friends was his godson and her other best friend was his niece, but his heart was once again threatening to choke him as he considered the situation.</p>
<p>“Yeah, she checked me in,” Harry said easily, but he looked anywhere but at Draco. Draco didn’t think anything of it, just swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, turning around, and made for the doorway again. “It was really nice seeing you, Draco.”</p>
<p>Draco froze in the doorway, his hands just settling on his towel cart. He glanced back into the room at the Gryffindor. Harry stood in the same spot; he hadn’t moved from it even once. He stared back, his green eyes piercing as he raised one hand in a small wave farewell.</p>
<p>“I should not have let you go,” Benny crooned quite loudly then. Draco could feel his entire face flushing in response.</p>
<p>“Have a good stay, Potter,” Draco said quickly and then shut the door. Fucking Benny.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you mean you don’t know who her father is?”</p>
<p>“I mean, three different men fucked me right around the same time and the healer could never quite pin down a conception date, so I have absolutely no idea who Lily’s father really is.”</p>
<p>“Circe’s tits, Draco!”</p>
<p>“I know! Fuck <em>me</em>, do I know.”</p>
<p>“Let’s not, that being what got you into this mess and all.”</p>
<p>“Fuck you, Pans.”</p>
<p>“I dare say, she’s not your type, Dray.”</p>
<p>“You’re a bloody wanker, Daph.”</p>
<p>Draco had poured himself onto Pansy’s couch as soon as she had opened the door to the suite her and Daphne were sharing for the week. She had immediately set to making them all a pitcher of margaritas while Daphne attended to Draco’s dramatic break down and finally managed to wheedle the information out of the blonde. After Draco had told them about running into Harry, the rest had come pouring out unprompted.</p>
<p>“Christ, Draco, and you never told them? You never found out?” Pansy pushed for more, simultaneously pushing a fresh glass of margarita towards her friend.</p>
<p>“Of course not,” Draco snapped. “No one wanted to be associated with a Malfoy back then. I would have been left raising her alone anyway, better to just get on with it.”</p>
<p>“So you didn’t give them the chance because you were afraid of <em>rejection</em>?” Daphne looked at him with disappointment and Draco groaned, burying his face into the pillow.</p>
<p>“I was more afraid they would try to take her away,” Draco muttered against the pillow. “I didn’t want…I couldn’t lose her. I couldn’t.”</p>
<p>Daphne rubbed soothing circles into his back as Draco choked back a sob. It wouldn’t do to weep over a decades old situation that didn’t matter anymore. Draco had made his choice, had lived with it, and now he would have to face the consequences. Or try to keep his head on straight in the hopes that his friends would help him cover it up for the rest of forever, even if Lily did push for answers more and more every year. Logically, he knew it wasn’t fair to her, but he just wasn’t ready yet. Surely Daphne and Pansy would understand that, even if Lily wouldn’t.</p>
<p>“I talked to Theo before I left,” Pansy began delicately, looking down into her very strong drink as she spoke. Draco turned his head to look at her, frowning as he waited for her to go on. “We talked about Lily’s wedding. He’s coming. Isn’t that a little fucked up, even for you?”</p>
<p>“I don’t remember inviting him,” Draco said, his frown deepening. It had been a while since he and Theo had even spoken.</p>
<p>“You must have; I saw the invitation.” Draco tried to recall the guest list, but it was difficult to remember every one of the two hundred and seventy-four envelopes he and Lily had painstakingly addressed by hand. Figures his kid would want such a large wedding. With another groan, he dropped his face back into the pillow and vowed to smother himself right then.</p>
<p>His relationship with Theo had been complicated over the years. The pair had ended their on-again/off-again relationship at the end of eighth year, but Draco had grown up with Theo. He couldn’t exactly keep him from his life completely, especially not when Pansy and Blaise were still close to the raven-haired man. There had been periods where the two kept in touch regularly and Draco made a point of seeing him whenever he visited London – however few and far between that had been over the years – but eventually, usually when Theo was seeing someone, their correspondence would fall off again until the next time Draco went to London and ran into him at one of Pansy’s little soirées.</p>
<p>Lily had grown up knowing Theo, but only as a family friend. And though Draco had been certain at one point that Theo had strongly suspected he might be more related to Lily than anyone knew (including Draco because, well, he didn’t know), Theo had never said a word and Draco had never offered the information up. Lily had seen more of Theo over the years than Draco had – it was hard not to when Pansy often whisked her goddaughter away to learn how a proper London witch lived – and still, they were none the wiser.</p>
<p>“Now all we need is for that Romanian Weasley to show up on the island and we’ll have a real Mamma Mia situation on our hands,” Daphne joked, referencing the Broadway musical the old hotel owners and subsequently Lily had been obsessed with.</p>
<p>“Charlie isn’t from Romania, he lives in Romania,” Draco corrected, finally forcing himself to sit up on the couch. Pansy dropped into the seat beside him, wrapping a long thin arm around his shoulders as she did so. “And no way could Lily pull off a scheme like Mamma Mia. She’s a Hufflepuff.”</p>
<p>“She’s best friends with a Slytherin though,” Pansy warned Draco, but Draco just scoffed.</p>
<p>“And that Slytherin is still a Weasley,” Draco drawled, even though they all knew he loved Victoire like a second daughter. She had spent too many school vacations on the island with them for her to not have grown on him. Daphne just laughed, but Pansy silently pursued her lips in thought.</p>
<p>“So…the Dragon Tamer went and tamed our dragon, did he?”</p>
<p>“Pansy!”<br/><br/></p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Luna Lovegood’s office was a small, cramped space tucked away on the seventh floor of St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. It contained a desk covered in medical files, scattered pieces of parchment that experiment data or new ideas had been scribbled onto, and a variety of eccentric paperweights with a solid oak chair that spun in circles and housed another pile of medical files and well creased books. Behind the desk and on either side of it stood four tall bookshelves that were crammed from floor to ceiling in books, crafts, and indoor plants. A few of the plants had begun to grow across the ceiling and in between the bookshelves, but their owner either didn’t mind or didn’t seem to notice. With Luna, one was never quite sure. Across from the desk was a small stone hearth and a wide, very comfortable, very well-worn armchair covered in a garish yellow and green plaid pattern. Next to it sat a small side table with two empty teacups and one full cup of rapidly cooling tea. The place gave Hermione Granger a small heart attack every time she visited, but Luna always felt quite cozy and right at home in the office she had occupied as an attending for the last eight years.</p>
<p>Luna had just thrown the door open, returning to her tea break from an emergency that had called her away, when the fireplace flared green and a familiar blonde head of curls sheepishly peered up at her. Luna’s brows rose as she fell into her chair by the fire and looked down in amusement at the young woman’s face peering anxiously up at her.</p>
<p>“Oh hello, Lily Luna,” Luna greeted her namesake with a warm smile. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for a wedding? I never imagined you’d have time for me.”</p>
<p>“I always have time for you, Aunt Luna,” Lily responded with a wide grin and Luna laughed, her blue eyes twinkling as she gazed back at the green face.</p>
<p>“Ah, but I’ll be seeing you Friday and you called me. So what is it that I can help you with?”</p>
<p>“How do you always do that?”</p>
<p>“Do what?” Luna’s smile brightened.</p>
<p>“You always know when we need something.”</p>
<p>“Who’s with you then?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“You said, ‘we,’ so who’s with you?”</p>
<p>“Dammit, Malfoy!” a voice from the distance cried out and Luna bit back her laughter. She did always love these children. And she had a feeling she knew why they were seeking her out. She did still talk to Harry. Very often, in fact. Almost as often as she spoke with Draco.</p>
<p>“Vic and Teddy are here,” Lily admitted. Luna smiled again.</p>
<p>“So what brings you into my fire, then? Out with it.”</p>
<p>“DoyouhaveanyexperienceinDNAtesting?” Lily managed quickly, her face turning a darker shade of green that indicated she was flushing red on her side of the fire. Luna pretended to take a minute to ponder just what Lily might be really asking.</p>
<p>“And what kind of DNA testing are you interested in learning about? Cancer markers? No? Then perhaps…paternity testing?”</p>
<p>“How did you know?” Teddy’s shocked timber voice filtered in from behind Lily somewhere.</p>
<p>“I was expecting this,” Luna admitted. “I must say I expected you a lot sooner, but the timing makes sense. Mamma Mia?”</p>
<p>“Am I really that obvious?” Lily whined and Luna tried very hard to maintain her serious demeanor.</p>
<p>“On the contrary, I think we just know you well. You’re lucky, then, that Draco knows you best. He won’t see it coming.”</p>
<p>“Oh Merlin. Dad’s going to be pissed though.”</p>
<p>“You’re an adult now, Lily. You have the right to know your lineage and seek out your family. If you want to know your roots, then I’ll help you find them. I’m on your side now.”</p>
<p>“You knew then?” Victoire’s voice popped back in, followed quickly by her face as she pushed Lily to the side. Her expression was set in one of righteous fury on behalf of her friend. Slytherin though she may be, Victoire would always be a Weasley. “You knew about all this and have the nerve to say you’re on her side now? Who else knows? For Morgana’s sake, you’re adults! This is <em>highly</em> inappropriate!”</p>
<p>“You’re right. But here we are. So do you want my help or not?”</p>
<p>“Yes! Yes we absolutely do!” Lily shouted, pushing Victoire back aside and taking her spot in front of the fire again.</p>
<p>“I need one item of his that contains his magical signature – so a charmed bag or a transfigured stool. Something he’s put his wand to. Then I need the same from you and from your dad. By subtracting what your dad’s magic adds to yours, I can determine if the rest is made up by him.”</p>
<p>“Ok, I can do that. I can send you something from me and my dad now. For the other dads, it might take me a bit; can we get them to you one at a time?”</p>
<p>“Other dads? Them? One at a time?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, there are three.”</p>
<p>“Three!?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I thought you knew?”</p>
<p>“I thought it was just…well, that doesn’t matter. Whenever you can get them to me is fine.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Aunt Luna!” Teddy’s voice called from behind Lily.</p>
<p>“You’d best be on our side, Aunt Luna,” Victoire’s voice carried through seriously.</p>
<p>“You’re the best, Aunt Luna,” Lily said with a grin and then they were gone.</p>
<p>With a small smile, Luna sat back in her chair and cast a warming charm on her tea. She had a little bit before Hermione would show up for dinner.</p>
<p>“Since when did you know so much about genetic magic?” Oh bother.</p>
<p>With a sigh, Luna turned around and smiled as sheepishly as she could manage. She didn’t feel <em>that</em> bad, after all. Really, she was just disappointed she’d most likely have to reheat her tea again.</p>
<p>“Good evening, Hermione. You’re early.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Draco, guess who just checked in at the docks?”</p>
<p>“I’m already aware that Harry Potter is here. Merlin only knows why now.”</p>
<p>“Oh no, not him. Parkinson already told Greg about him.”</p>
<p>“Then who else? Theo? I know he’s coming too.”</p>
<p>“Nope!”</p>
<p>“Then who, Lavender? I don’t have time for your games.”</p>
<p>“Charlie Weasley.”</p>
<p>“<em>Bloody buggering fuck!</em>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I couldn’t help myself. This chapter was done and gone over by waywardstoner. No promises that the rest will come as quickly, but I am already working on chapter 3 and I’m in quarantine for the first time ever so. We’ll see!</p>
<p>Please leave kudos and comments and tell me what you think!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. dragons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This was the Gryffindor that had signed up for the DA without hesitation, that had stood up in the Final Battle with barely a break in her stride. Now she was a Gryffindor used to fighting for the man she loved and their…child?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am so so sorry for how long this has taken! I’m in the middle of a divorce, and an opportunity came up to get me out of my cohabitation situation so I ended up very suddenly moving 2 states away in only 3 weeks. It’s been a long few months. I’m settled now, and I just got a new computer, so I’m hoping to have much more regular updates from here on out! Thank you all for bearing with me. No lemon this chapter like I hoped (the muses had other plans), but please enjoy a very lengthy story to make up for it.</p>
<p>And please please leave me kudos and comments when you’re done! I’m very needy. I need the encouragement.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>chapter 3: dragons</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>26 August 1999</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The Villa Ariadne was a small thirty room hotel built of white drystone and accented with turquoise stained wood finishing. The courtyard entrance housed a small fountain that Harry was absolutely in love with. The statue in the middle was made of a black marble that reminded him of the Ministry of Magic in Britain, but the similarities stopped there. Where the statute back home was a terrifying depiction of wix sitting above mangled muggle bodies, the scene in Kalokairi depicted the broad, beefy figure of Dionysus twirling about the mortal Ariadne. The pair were dressed in ancient robes and almost appeared to be skating atop the flowing water in the mixed white and black marble circle that made up the fountain’s foundation. Surrounding the dancing couple were three nymphs, smaller in size and connected to each other by ivy and grape vines. The flowers crowns on their heads were bindweed, Draco had told him when they first arrived three days ago. There weren’t words carved around the base of the fountain like the one in the ministry, but a small bronze plaque written in Greek was embedded in the base facing the entrance to the courtyard that led to the island rather than the hotel.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Harry sat on the edge of the fountain, tracing the Greek letters and listening to the soft trickle of the water behind him. His entire trip to Greece had been a whirlwind. He had met a distant uncle on the continent only a few weeks prior, who had been more than welcoming. Before he knew it, Harry had found himself folded into family gatherings and celebrations with people he was only distantly related to. It seemed a branch of the Potter family had settled in southern Greece, but however vaguely Harry was connected to them didn’t seem to matter. The warm welcome had been overwhelming and only the presence of his traveling partner had kept him grounded through it all. But finally, they were free from the familial madness and exploring just the two of them. Harry had never felt closer to someone in his life. It was both confusing and refreshing all at once. The space they were offered on Kalokairi was just what he needed. Harry dreaded the idea of going back to England in just three short days.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Potter, there you are,” a drawl broke through his thoughts and Harry looked up at his blonde companion with a grin. It was dark out now, but the lighting in the courtyard created a pleasant glow around Draco as he strode towards the fountain with a small smile playing at his lips. “You’ve just missed the most obnoxious guests!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh?” Harry asked, turning sideways as Draco sat down beside him. His friend smirked and began to describe a loud family that Adrianne Nott, their host and the Villa Ariadne’s owner, had just finished checking in. Apparently the family was a colorful sort, but Harry wasn’t paying attention to what Draco was saying. Not really. He was instead focusing on the way that Draco used his hands when he talked, the way his face was more expressive than his words, the way he captured everyone’s attention with his stories. Harry was starting to realize – very belatedly, as Hermione would later tell him – that his feelings for Draco weren’t as fleeting or just friendly as he had originally thought. Harry was starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, his feelings for Draco were the most real he had ever had for another person.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Potter, are you listening to me?” Harry blinked. Draco was staring at him now, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Harry grinned sheepishly, looking down at the plaque on the fountain.</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Can you translate this for me?” Harry asked instead of answering. Draco snorted, but when Harry looked back up the expression on his face was almost fond.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s part of a poem,” Draco said.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What’s the poem?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Bacchus and Ariadne. It’s by a British poet, actually, from the early 1800s.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“So why’s it in Greek?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Because we’re in Greece.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh. Right.” Harry looked down again. There was a pause and then,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“But when the twilight came, as if with shade<br/></em>
  <em>for lovers, and a natural quiet made,<br/></em>
  <em>the smiling guests departed, and shot back<br/></em>
  <em>to dark blue heaven, each in a golden track:<br/></em>
  <em>the nymphs and sylvans with their loves withdrew<br/></em>
  <em>to vine-encrusted bowers; the ruder crew<br/></em>
  <em>were yet remaining in the distant hills;<br/></em>
  <em>and only the moist whispers of the rills<br/></em>
  <em>were heard, still hastening through the trembling grass.” Harry looked up, but Draco wasn’t looking at him. He was looking down at the plaque, a slight flush on his face.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Bacchus took in his arms his bridal lass,<br/></em>
  <em>and gave and shared as much more happiness<br/></em>
  <em>than Theseus, as a noble spirit’s caress,</em><br/>
  <em>full of sincerity, and mind, and heart,<br/></em>
  <em>out-relishes mere fire and self-embittering art.”</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“That’s…that’s really beautiful,” Harry said, and Draco just seemed to flush even redder.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Bacchus is the Roman name for Dionysus. That’s who the man is,” Draco motioned to the statue behind them. “The woman is Ariadne, his wife. There are a couple different versions of the myth, but the most popular is that Ariadne was abandoned on this island by her lover Theseus – that’s a whole other myth – and while she was sleeping, he just…left. She was devastated. It’s said that Dionysus found her and fell in love with her on sight. He put a crown into the sky to become a star to memorialize her forever. It’s quite a romantic story, really.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I think I love you,” Harry blurted. Draco froze, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’m sorry, what?” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Harry didn’t answer. He just surged forwards, grabbed Draco’s face with both hands, and brought their lips together. It took only a moment before Draco was responding, pressing forwards and deepening the kiss.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh,” Draco breathed when Harry finally pulled away.</em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh,” Harry replied, unable to stop himself from grinning as Draco curled his hands into Harry’s jumper. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“That was…” Draco trailed off, his cheeks red. Harry laughed.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“That was,” he confirmed. Draco smiled and pulled him close again.</em>
</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>25 September 2019</p>
<p>According to muggle mythology, the Greek god Dionysus was born and raised on the island of Naxos. However, before the Statue of Secrecy spread across Europe, it was originally said that Dionysus was born on Kalokairi at the end of August. Though celebrations of the god throughout the world vary by location, inhabitants of the magical island still celebrate the month of his birth through to the middle of September. The island itself, almost as though it is celebrating along with its people, is said to be at its most magically fertile during this time. Male pregnancies aren’t unheard of in the magical world, though they are exceedingly rare without the aid of potions and spells. But in Kalokairi, during the Feast Month of Dionysus, they’re almost expected.</p>
<p>Naturally, this was all information that Hermione Granger was fully aware of. When she heard about Draco’s pregnancy during his second trimester in December 1999, she did what any self-respecting Healer would do and researched it. The only other person she had shared her findings with at the time had been her fellow Healer-in-training Luna Lovegood. Obstetrics and gynecology weren’t her intended specialty, but it was Luna’s; so at the time, it didn’t seem surprising that Luna wasn’t completely unaware about the information Hermione was so <em>excited</em> to share with her. Now, however, Hermione knew better.</p>
<p>“Ronald? Honey, are you home?” Hermione called as she floo’d into their living room. Ron, bless him, stepped into the doorway, a dish towel over his shoulder, and a large grin on his face.</p>
<p>“You’re home early,” he said, moving forward to greet her with a hug and a kiss. Hermione beamed at him, leaning against him for just a moment before she remembered <em>why</em> she had come home early.</p>
<p>“Dinner smells good,” she said, following him into the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Homemade Bolognese, your favorite,” Ron told her as he walked back to the stove, stirring the sauce. “You know, the kids are with mum. So that means we have the house <em>all. To. Ourselves</em>.”</p>
<p>“Mm, lovely,” Hermione said absentmindedly, opening one of the kitchen drawers and shuffling through the papers they kept inside.</p>
<p>“What are you looking for, love?” Ron asked without looking, suppressing a sigh. Hermione smiled.</p>
<p>“The invitation Draco sent us,” she said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. But after more than two decades together, her husband knew better.</p>
<p>“And why is that?”</p>
<p>“Do you think it’s too late to change our RSVP?”</p>
<p>“‘Moine, what’s going on?”</p>
<p>“Aha!” she cried in delight as she found what she was looking for. She plucked the cardstock from the drawer and then slammed it closed, spinning to look at her husband with a triumphant grin on her face. He looked over at her from his place by the stove, his brow raised. But just as he knew better about her tone of voice, he also knew better than to press her for answers. With a sigh, Hermione sat down at the kitchen table and kept her gaze firmly on the invitation in front of her. “Ron, there’s something I need to tell you.”</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>The restaurant inside the Villa Ariadne was known for its buffet. Locals would come spend meals here. As Vic filled her plate up with breakfast foods, she couldn’t help but wish Uncle Ron were here to see this. With out of country wedding guests starting to fill up the rooms, Draco had outdone himself with the sea of offerings. There were three different styles of eggs, three varieties of pancakes and waffles, four different kinds of meats, twelve different breakfast pastries, potatoes cooked six different ways, fresh hotel made toast and muffins, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Vic was sure her friend was going to have to move in with her after the expenses on this wedding. But one bite into the fresh island fruit and she wasn’t complaining.</p>
<p>Lily sat beside her, humming happily away as she sipped on juice and nibbled at a muffin. Vic took the time to really look at her best friend. Their first class together had been Potions, and despite all the time Lily had spent being raised by <em>Draco Malfoy</em>, her friend had somehow been absolutely pants at the subject. Lily had laughed, said she’d been too busy enjoying the last vestiges of her youth to listen to a word on the theory her dad was always spouting off at her. Vic spent the next seven years extensively tutoring Lily so that she could pass her Potions NEWT. Through all their years at Hogwarts, Vic had watched Lily struggle with her ability to focus on subjects she couldn’t get by with just a little hands-on experience. She watched Lily retain information better when she jumped between subjects while studying rather than spending hours on a single topic. She watched as Lily doodled to keep her hands busy so she could process the information the professors were telling them. She listened to every excuse Lily had as to why she couldn’t do that assignment until the night before it was due, lest she squirm and complain until Vic shooed her from the library. As much as Vic would love to find out that Lily was a Weasley, there was only one person Vic knew that learned and processed information in almost exactly the same way. And when her friend turned those trademark, open, green eyes on her, gazing at her curiously above her glass of juice, Vic was absolutely positive she knew who Lily’s other father was.</p>
<p>“Lils, who are you leaning towards?” Vic asked and Lily immediately looked down, picking at her muffin.</p>
<p>“I have no idea,” Lily said slowly, a slight frown marring her face. Vic narrowed her eyes.</p>
<p>“Because you really have no idea or because you know your desires are outweighing reality?” Lily looked up then to glare at her.</p>
<p>“I know what you think, Vic, and you’re not being fair.” Vic scoffed and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“We all saw those memories last night–” Lily turned bright red and looked away again,“–and Harry is more likely just based on frequency. It’s simple arithmetic, Lily!”</p>
<p>“Do you think...do you think Dad has seen him yet?” Lily looked back up at her friend, a sudden look of concern on her face. Vic sighed at the change in topic and then smiled softly.</p>
<p>“I don't know. Did you watch those memories before you invited him?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” They fell into silence then, both slowly picking away at their plates</p>
<p>“I didn’t know your dad could laugh like that,” Vic finally said. Lily huffed out a laugh and turned a sad smile at her friend.</p>
<p>“I didn’t either.” Lily chewed on her bottom lip, and Vic knew that look well. It was the expression Lily always wore as she tossed an idea around in her mind, usually before sharing some harebrained scheme or wild dream. That look Vic knew she got from her dad. But just as Lily opened her mouth to speak, a shadow fell over their table and the girls looked up into the nervous grin of Vic’s vote for Lily’s other father.</p>
<p>“Good morning,” Harry chirped, running a hand through his already messy hair and shifting from foot to foot.</p>
<p>“Morning, Uncle Harry,” Vic said with a grin, sliding over and patting the seat beside her.</p>
<p>“Hello,” Lily said softly, clearly as nervous as the man joining them. Lily looked at the coffee mug Harry cradled in his hands and raised a single brow at him. “Not hungry?” Harry just laughed.</p>
<p>“Sorry, you just look so much like your father when you do that,” Harry finally explained, motioning to his eyebrow to demonstrate what he meant. Lily smiled wide, leaning forward eagerly.</p>
<p>“You went to school with him, right?” she asked and Harry nodded, his smile faltering a little.</p>
<p>“Er, yeah. I thought you said he talked about me?” Harry raised both brows at her. Lily flushed a little and cleared her throat, sipping at her juice to collect her bearings. Vic stifled a laugh from beside her.</p>
<p>“He does,” Lily tried to save. “I guess I just haven’t heard all that much about what he was like then. Auntie Pans and Daph never mention what school used to be like and he won’t let Greg or Lavender say a word. It’s like he didn’t exist until I was born.”</p>
<p>“Well, I reckon he probably feels as though he didn’t,” a voice interrupted them and the table turned to look up at the easy smile of Charlie Weasley. Lily scooted in closer to Vic, but the redhead dropped two full plates to the table and pulled up a chair instead.</p>
<p>“Morgana, Charlie! Do you have enough to eat?” Vic laughed at her uncle, and the man just grinned.</p>
<p>“I don’t have kids, so I’m not speaking from experience here, but the way Bill talks sometimes you’d never know any other version of him existed before Dominique and Louis.”</p>
<p>“<em>Pardon</em>!” Vic cried, her mother’s accent slipping through with the French. Charlie laughed. “What am I, then?”</p>
<p>“You’re mostly your mother’s,” Charlie teased and Vic scoffed, stealing one of Charlie’s croissants in retaliation. Charlie gasped and pretended to be mock offended. Lily laughed and looked across the table at Harry, who was watching her with a very sad smile. She blushed, but met his gaze head on.</p>
<p>“Do you feel that way?” Lily asked him and Harry’s brow furrowed.</p>
<p>“Why do you ask?” Harry replied.</p>
<p>“Well, you have sons, don’t you? Albus and James, right? They’re still at Hogwarts.” Harry looked at her in surprise.</p>
<p>“Do you know them?” Harry asked. Vic turned to look at him and narrowed her eyes. He seemed so…<em>eager</em>.</p>
<p>“A little, I guess. They were barely there when we left. I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper conversation with James, but I’ve talked with Albus a bit. He’s in the same house as Vic. He’s a good kid.”</p>
<p>“And a proper Slytherin he is, too,” Vic chimed in, grinning wide at them. Harry smiled at her.</p>
<p>“I think there’s a part of me that didn’t exist before the boys, but I’m not so sure I ever let go of my life before them. Or parts of it, anyway,” Harry finally admitted.</p>
<p>“Parts of it?” Lily breathed, her eyes widening and her face paling. Vic almost winced when Lily grasped her hand under the table and squeezed. Almost.</p>
<p>“Charlie, are you going to see the dragons while you’re here?” Vic changed the subject before Harry could keep talking or before Lily could blurt out what Vic was <em>sure</em> Lily was about to blurt out. <em>You mean like me? </em>Vic was almost certain that Harry didn’t know. Charlie’s answering smile was almost knowing. Almost.</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>The Villa Ariadne hosted a large kitchen with enough cooking and prepping space for a dozen chefs, even if it was only Greg and his two line cooks. It was a hub of activity most of the day – magic flowing over the tables and between the ovens as vegetables chopped themselves and pots stirred on their own – but even more so now with the impending wedding. Greg was busy hustling around his kitchen, only pausing to give one of his cooks instructions, while Daphne sat in a chair out of the way, her attention divided between her business emails and her blonde friend who was currently glued to the dining room doors. Draco was peering through the window, his gray eyes continually scanning the growing breakfast crowd. Daphne set her phone down in her lap so she could really look at her friend. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a pale blue button-down shirt today, his long hair pulled back into his now trademark messy bun. Daphne watched her friend chew on his bottom lip, his brow slightly furrowed, before he turned his head to her and opened his mouth to speak.</p>
<p>“Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong,” a loud caw cut through the chatter of the kitchen before Draco could say a word and they all looked up to the African gray perched comfortably on a tall kitchen shelf.</p>
<p>“Be quiet, Benny,” Draco hissed, turning again to glance through the window to see if anyone had heard the obnoxiously loud African gray. Thankfully, the diners seemed to be too enraptured with the breakfast buffet options to care about the noise coming from the kitchen.</p>
<p>“I have never seen such sorrow,” the bird crooned in reply and Draco pulled his wand out to cast a <em>Muffalito</em> on the kitchen doors. Draco glared at the bird again.</p>
<p>“Is he out there then?” Daphne called and Draco turned to frown at his friend.</p>
<p>“Is who out there?” Draco asked, sticking his chin out and narrowing his eyes. Daphne just rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“Don’t play stupid, Draco.”</p>
<p>“I see you’ve broken a feather,” Benny cawed at Draco, fluttering his wings and puffing out his chest.</p>
<p>“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Either of you,” Draco sniffed, turning to look out the window again.</p>
<p>“Just go talk to him,” Daphne said, sighing at how childish her friend was being about all this. They were <em>adults</em>. Surely a conversation couldn’t be that hard?</p>
<p>“It’s not that easy, Daph,” Draco whispered as though reading her thoughts, his gaze finally seeming to land on one spot.</p>
<p>“How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they’re leaving!”</p>
<p>“Why is that bird even allowed in this bloody kitchen!?”</p>
<p>“I like him,” Greg’s soft voice floated from nearby and Daphne looked up to see him approach with an armful of vegetables. He dropped them onto a nearby table, in front of one of his line cooks who immediately began to prep them, and then he approached his old classmates, wiping his hands on his apron.</p>
<p>“Well, what do you know?” Draco grumbled, his gaze firmly locked onto whatever table of people he had found.</p>
<p>“So what’s this Lavender was telling me about Lily playing Mamma Mia?” Greg changed the topic instead. Draco groaned and finally turned away from the door.</p>
<p>“I don’t <em>know</em> that she is,” Draco said.</p>
<p>“She definitely is,” Daphne followed up immediately. Greg laughed.</p>
<p>“You know how Lily is into that muggle musical theater?”</p>
<p>“You mean, I know how you got Lily into that muggle musical theater,” Greg corrected with a wide grin. Draco rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>“Right, well, Mamma Mia is her favorite. That’s the ABBA one about the girl who invites three men to a wedding because they might all be her dad. And. Well.”</p>
<p>“Potter and Weasley are here and Theo’s coming?”</p>
<p>“You <em>knew</em>?” Daphne gasped, but Greg and Draco ignored her.</p>
<p>“That’s right. And I really think we decided on <em>not</em> inviting Theo.”</p>
<p>“But you don’t think Lily invited them all because...?”</p>
<p>“Because that would just be too obvious! And I did not raise my daughter to be so obvious. She’s much more clever than that.” Greg laughed again.</p>
<p>“No, but you did raise a Hufflepuff.” Draco groaned.</p>
<p>“Don’t remind me,” he huffed, turning to look out the door again. His frown deepened for a moment before both brows rose. “Daphne, I need you out there now.”</p>
<p>“What? Why?” Daphne slid her phone into her pocket as she stood, trying to peer through the window over Draco’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Back left corner by the buffet. Harry and Weasley just sat down with Lily.”</p>
<p>“So?” Draco whirled on his friend with an irritated, incredulous expression on his face.</p>
<p>“So!? So if Lily <em>is</em> playing Mamma Mia, you have to get out there and stop her!” Before Daphne could protest, Draco was pushing his friend out the kitchen door and into the dining room. Benny used the opportunity to soar through the open door.</p>
<p>“Sing a new song, Chiquitita!”</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>“When did Kalokairi get dragons?” Harry asked.</p>
<p>“They didn’t. There’s a conservation on an island nearby,” Charlie answered. Harry frowned.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know that.”</p>
<p>“You’ve been to Kalokairi then?” Lily asked and Harry turned to look at the curly blonde. He could feel his heart leap every time he looked at her. The similarities between her and Draco were striking. Especially when she was looking at him like <em>that</em>, with an expression that told Harry she knew the answer and was fishing for more information. He smiled and bit back the reminder that she should know if Draco really talked about him so much. Harry didn’t know <em>what</em> she was hiding, what Vic and Teddy were helping her hide, but he was already here.</p>
<p>“Not in twenty years.”</p>
<p>“Why haven’t you been back until now?” <em>Ah</em>.</p>
<p>Harry could hear the unasked, <em>What stopped you? </em>Maybe he was just projecting.</p>
<p>“I haven’t had a lot of time off,” Harry lied, shrugging. Lily scoffed.</p>
<p>“British Head Auror Potter doesn’t get vacation?” she asked incredulously and Harry had to bite back a laugh. She was her father’s daughter; there was no doubt about it.</p>
<p>“<em>Sing a new song, Chiquita!</em>” a loud melodious squawk saved Harry from what was sure to be a <em>very</em> Slytherin interrogation. The island’s African gray swooped overhead and Harry could spot which patrons were native islanders based on their response to the singing bird.</p>
<p>“There you are, Lily! I was just looking for you,” a voice sing-songed and the whole table looked over as a short, chubby woman dressed head to toe in orange bustled her way to the table. Her honey brown hair was pulled onto her head in a tall bun, a few purposely curly strands too short to fit in and styled to frame her face instead. She looked familiar, but Harry just couldn’t match a name to her face.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Auntie Daph,” Lily greeted with a smile, and then waved to Vic beside her. “You remember Vic.”</p>
<p>“How could I not? You two were dancing queens at my house for New Year’s,” the woman laughed, and suddenly it clicked. Daphne Greengrass. She looked practically the same, just a little aged. How could he forget Draco’s oldest friend?</p>
<p>“Hello, Daphne,” Harry spoke into the following silence and Daphne turned to him with a small smile, her gaze narrowed slightly as she studied his ragged appearance.</p>
<p>“Harry, long time no see,” Daphne said slowly and Harry smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. When he glanced around the table, it was to find both Lily and Vic watching him intently.</p>
<p>“How have you been?” Harry asked, unsure what else to say. Daphne’s small smile melted into something more genuine and she turned back to Lily.</p>
<p>“Good. I was hoping to steal the bride-to-be away for a little while today! I don’t know nearly enough about this Alexander fellow as I’d like to.”</p>
<p>“Actually, Aunt Daph, Lily’s going to see the dragons with Uncle Charlie today,” Vic piped up.</p>
<p>“She is?” Charlie wondered aloud.</p>
<p>“I am?” Lily asked at the same time. Vic stared hard at her for a moment and then Lily’s face brightened, turning back to Daphne with a grin. “I mean, I am!”</p>
<p>Daphne’s eyes widened and a brief expression of panic crossed her face before she managed to school it into something calmer. Her responding smile was something Harry only ever saw on Slytherins.</p>
<p>“That sounds wonderful!” Daphne cooed. “You know, I’ve heard so much about your dragons. It’s about time I see them for myself. Surely you have room for one more?”</p>
<p>“The more the merrier,” Charlie replied cheerfully before Lily could. Lily was too busy looking shocked to even so much as squeak. “I’m Charlie, by the way. Charlie Weasley.” Daphne turned to shake his hand, a wide smile breaking out across her face and a faint blush rising on her cheeks.</p>
<p>“Daphne Greengrass,” she introduced herself. “You’re the dragon man, right?” Charlie laughed.</p>
<p>“Dragon man. I like that. Have you ever been to a dragon reserve before?</p>
<p>“No, never. I’ve never even seen a dragon outside of the ones from that tournament fourth year, and only from a distance.”</p>
<p>“Well, you’re in for a treat. We can leave after breakfast, yeah?” Daphne nodded.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Lily finally managed to get out, Vic rubbing her back soothingly.</p>
<p>Harry just watched the exchange with interest. Lily seemed almost nervous and Vic was looking at Daphne with the same narrowed eyes the brunette had studied him with earlier. Harry knew Lily was up to something. Now, he wondered if Draco might be too.</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>Though not as big as the dragon sanctuary in Romania, Kefáli tou Drákou was known for its conservation of endangered dragon species such as the Wyrm, a species that looked remarkably like a very docile basilisk, or the Indian Naga, whose human-like face played a role in the uncanny valley phenomenon that still plagues the human species to this day. Kefáli tou Drákou was situated on an island between Naxos and Kalokairi and could only be reached by boat or broom due to its extensive anti-apparition and even anti-portkey wards. Charlie had always wondered at the story behind that, but every dragon keeper seemed to have heard something entirely different from another so the original ages-old tale was lost to history.</p>
<p>Despite his years on the Gryffindor quidditch team and his use of a broom at work, Charlie learned twenty years ago that he wasn’t fond of flying over an ocean so this time, he had gone out of his way to rent a little boat (dubbed <em>No Bananas </em>by the company) for exactly this reason. He was grateful for his decision when he ended up carting Lily and Daphne along with him. The two women had chatted amongst themselves on the trip over, but then they sailed through a shimmering anti-muggle barrier and silence descended as the island began to rise up before them.</p>
<p>The island was surrounded by a tall, thick stone wall with only one towering gate for an entrance. The conservation’s name was written in large block letters over the gate and, coupled with the vast vegetation that seemed to grow from everywhere but the docks, never failed to remind Charlie of the movie Jurassic Park. He was almost certain one of the set designers had been to Kefáli tou Drákou, if not Michael Crichton himself.</p>
<p>The gates opened upon their arrival and they were quickly escorted into a long, squat building that stood between them and the sanctuary. Their visit was checked in and then they were led past several large windows that allowed them to peer into (mostly) empty holding stalls, which Charlie knew from experience were to temporarily house injured dragons until they were safe to return to their enclosures, and a few hatching stalls where eggs and their mothers could be safely and routinely monitored. Not all endangered species were due to human involvement; some dragons could be particularly violent towards eggs that didn’t belong to them. While most sanctuaries chose not to interfere with the dragons’ natural instincts, especially as it often posed a great risk to their keepers, Kefáli tou Drákou was especially involved in conservation efforts. In its two hundred years of existence, the sanctuary had single handedly managed to save over forty different dragon species from extinction.</p>
<p>The man waiting for them at the building’s exit was one Charlie knew well. He was shorter than Charlie, though that wasn’t saying much considering he had inherited the Weasley height, and he was very stocky. The man’s skin was dark from his time in the sun with matching dark features and a lot of dark hair. The man’s beefy arms were coated with coarse hair and his long, thick curls were pulled into a messy bun on top of his head. Age hadn’t really touched this man, save for the crinkles around his eyes and the smile lines around his lips. Charlie grinned and waved at his older friend, but the man’s attention was firmly on the blonde hurrying her way over to him.</p>
<p>“Nico!” Lily cried with delight, throwing her arms around the man’s neck. He laughed and hugged her tight.</p>
<p>“Ah, little flower, it has been too long!” Nico crooned, his Greek accent as thick as his English was flawless. Lily pulled away with a rather sheepish smile in return.</p>
<p>“I know, I’m sorry,” she said. “I haven’t been able to get away what with Dad and the wedding.”</p>
<p>“I understand, no need to apologize. I am very much looking forward to it! You will make such a beautiful bride.”</p>
<p>“Nico, this is one of my godmothers, Daphne,” Lily introduced. Nico grasped one of Daphne’s hands with his and pressed his lips to the back of it.</p>
<p>“It is always a pleasure meeting one of Lily’s beautiful friends,” Nico purred. Daphne threw her head back and laughed.</p>
<p>“Oh, you are too much!” she said.</p>
<p>“And I think you already know Charlie?” Lily said tentatively, waving in his direction.</p>
<p>“But of course!” Nico’s smile grew again as he clasped Charlie’s hand in both of his. “It has been many months since you have last been here, but we are so happy to have you back.”</p>
<p>“It’s good to see you again, Nico,” Charlie piped up.</p>
<p>Nico led the odd trio to his Jeep, where Lily climbed into the front with him and the pair chatted amiably as they drove along. Charlie turned to look at Daphne, just a tad curious about the woman who had interjected herself into their (rather impromptu) trip. Charlie had never heard much about the Greengrass girl, even when his youngest brother had gone to school with her, but she didn’t really seem like the dragon type.</p>
<p>“So what do you do?” Charlie asked her, pulling her attention away from the scenery outside the window.</p>
<p>“Me? I, uh, run a cosmetic company, actually,” she confessed, her cheeks flushing a faint shade of pink. “It’s called Luminesce.” Charlie’s brows rose.</p>
<p>“Oh no way,” he said, grinning wide. “We use your Guérir moisturizer line on the sanctuary to help with healing burns. It prevents a lot of scarring.” Daphne’s cheeks flushed a little deeper and Charlie’s smile grew.</p>
<p>“I know; we donate a lot to you guys and to the Lupin Foundation. I came up with the concept a few years ago, after talking to Lavender about how difficult her scars made it for her to seek work after the war.”</p>
<p>“Lavender? As in the Gryffindor, Lavender Brown?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. She lives on the island. She’s married to Greg.”</p>
<p>“You’re kidding.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry; we were just as surprised as you.”</p>
<p>“Isn’t she…you know?”</p>
<p>“A werewolf? Yes. Greg takes good care of her though. And I’ve never seen him happier in my life. They have a son, actually. Little Vince. Have you met him?”</p>
<p>“No. I don’t think that I have.”</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>When Harry had last been on the island Kalokairi, the population had been roughly two thousand. With the growth of its vineyards and tourism over the last twenty years, the population had more than doubled and was now far closer to five, or so the young Greek bloke manning the Villa Ariadne information desk had told him that morning. Surprised as he had been at the time, the increased number of unfamiliar buildings and homes had confirmed the news during his journey around the island. It had been nice to get lost among the new streets, to let the feeling of the island’s magic wash over him in a way a muggle neighborhood never would and yet without the interruption of strangers only Muggle London still brought him.</p>
<p>The open market was crowded at this time in the afternoon, but Harry found it easy to slip through, pausing to sample food or peruse the locally made soaps and oils. He watched as regulars greeted those running the booths, as a local vendor teased another with friendly competition. He wondered if things had gone differently, if he might be the one to tell them there was plenty of room for two cheese shops; if in another world he was securing them both for a large event. Harry swallowed around a lump in his throat and forced himself to turn away. It had been so easy not to think like this for the last fifteen years. He pushed away his what-ifs in favor of a swirl of memories focusing on his teenage sons. The two reasons why it had been so easy until now.</p>
<p>Harry was so busy forcing thoughts of his kids to the forefront of his mind that he stopped focusing on where he was going. He was present enough to evade any significant accidents, twisting around Greek and foreign visitors alike, until his luck finally ran out. His shoulder collided painfully hard with someone else’s firm arm and suddenly, red and yellow rained down around him. Dahlia flowers littered the ground around his feet and a wicker basket bounced against his head when the person he bumped into leaned down for the flowers at the same time as him.</p>
<p>“Oh goodness, I’m so sorry,” a voice huffed at him, pulling the basket brusquely away. Harry bundled a handful of the flowers in his arm and looked up just as he put them on top of some eucalyptus branches the basket still held.</p>
<p>“It’s totally fine– <em>Lavender</em>!?” Harry froze, his hands hovering above the basket and his mouth hanging open as he gazed on at the most unexpected woman he ever expected to see on the island.</p>
<p>The woman in front of him was clearly older than he remembered, but very much the same person he had gone to school with for six years. Her face was still round, her hips still wide, and her curly dirty blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. The woman had more lines in her face, a hardness to her skin from time in the sun, a fierceness in her brown eyes that hadn’t been there at sixteen, and four ragged scars that ran from her temple down to the middle of her neck; but there was no mistaking Lavender Brown.</p>
<p>She had been in <em>The Prophet</em> almost as much as he had when he returned from Greece. She was just getting out of the hospital. Unlike Harry, however, she was able to keep away from even the photojournalists with absolutely no boundaries and eventually faded away from one news cycle to the next. Harry had heard that she had gone to the continent instead of back to Hogwarts, but despite losing track of her he had still never expected her to pop up <em>here</em> of all places.</p>
<p>“Harry! Funny seeing you here,” Lavender beamed, her smile wide as she gathered up the rest of the flowers and shoved them into her basket. Harry stood with her, still staring on in shock as she paid the vendor patiently waiting for them.</p>
<p>“Me? You’re buying flowers. In Greece!”</p>
<p>“They’re for a wedding bouquet,” Lavender said easily, ignoring his gaze as she tucked her wallet into the basket beneath the vegetation.</p>
<p>“Malfoy’s?” Lavender looked at him then and raised both brows at him. Looking back on it, Harry would realize that she wasn’t particularly surprised by his reply. Rather, she seemed almost expectant. At the time, Harry simply continued, “Is that why you’re here then?”</p>
<p>Lavender laughed. Harry followed her through the crowd, unaware they were on their way back to the Villa Ariadne until Harry found himself just a little out of breath on the stairs that led up the mountainside directly to the hotel.</p>
<p>“I live here,” Lavender told him as they walked. “I’ve been here more than ten years now. Let’s see: Lily was six then and now she’s…nineteen? I’ve been here thirteen years now! Wow! Time flies.”</p>
<p>“Do you work with flowers usually?”</p>
<p>“Sometimes, but not for why you think. I’m the hotel manager.”</p>
<p>“You work with Draco?”</p>
<p>“<em>For</em> him,” Lavender corrected. Harry stared at her in amazement once again.</p>
<p>“When did he buy the Villa Ariadne?” Harry tried to sound cool. He thought he sounded cool. Based on the look Lavender levelled him with, he definitely didn’t.</p>
<p>“He didn’t. Adrianne left it to him,” Lavender shrugged, adjusting the basket so that it was more comfortable to trek up the stairs. Harry felt his heart twist.</p>
<p>Harry and Draco had originally come to the island on the suggestion of Theo, whose aunt and uncle ran the little hotel. It had been passed down that branch of the Nott family since its first opening in 1821. Adrianne Nott had been incredibly welcoming to the pair the moment they showed up at her door. Her Italian life partner Georgio had been unusually reserved, so Harry hadn’t really gotten to know the quiet man. But Adrianne was a bright presence, a warm mother figure to every single guest, and extremely hard to forget. She reminded him a lot of Molly.</p>
<p>Harry remembered his brief goodbye with her. He was leaving earlier than she expected, but she hadn’t made him explain a thing. She had just looked at him and had seemed to just <em>know</em>. Adrianne had wrapped him tightly in her arms and made him promise to come back and stay again. He didn’t manage to fulfill that promise in her lifetime, something he regretted the day he read her obituary in a little Greek newsletter he specially ordered in London. Being reminded of that now made him feel that loss again, made him wonder what that loss must have been like for Draco and if the man had had anyone else to get through it. And before he could force his mind away from the blonde again, Harry wondered how many of the hotel’s changes had been Draco’s ideas.</p>
<p>“How did you end up here?” Harry broke the silence again. He couldn’t see Lavender’s expression from where he trailed behind her, but for a brief moment her shoulders tensed and then they seemed to relax as she straightened her stance. Harry was wondering why she was readying herself for a fight until–</p>
<p>“Greg.”</p>
<p>“Greg?”</p>
<p>“From our year at Hogwarts. A Slytherin.”</p>
<p>“<em>Gregory</em> <em>Goyle</em>!?”</p>
<p>“Yes. We’re married.”</p>
<p>“<em>You’re married</em>!?”</p>
<p>“Are you just going to repeat everything I say?”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, it’s just to hear that you married that…that…that <em>brute</em>–” Harry almost collided with Lavender for the second time that day as the blonde whirled around, the basket sliding down her arm as she put her hands on her hips, but Harry managed to stop just in time. The werewolf stood two steps above him, the furious expression on her face and the fiery glare in her eyes enough to make him put two more steps between them.</p>
<p>“Don’t you <em>dare, </em>Harry Potter,” Lavender hissed, bringing up a hand to point a finger directly in his face. “That is my <em>husband</em> you are talking about. He is an absolute love – has always been, even when I have no right to it – and he is the best father I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. You don’t know either of us enough to say a word about it so I will mind you to kindly keep your insults to yourself.”</p>
<p>Harry gaped up at her. This was the Gryffindor that had signed up for the DA without hesitation, that had stood up in the Final Battle with barely a break in her stride. Now she was a Gryffindor used to fighting for the man she loved and their…child?</p>
<p>“You have a kid?” Harry breathed in awe. He tried to picture what that kid might look like, what that kid would <em>be</em> like, and was suddenly glad that they had a parent like Lavender. But then, Lavender <em>had</em> liked Ron at one point so she wasn’t exactly without taste. Harry had given most of the other Slytherins a second chance; he supposed he should give Gregory Goyle one too.</p>
<p>“His name is Vince. He’s six,” Lavender replied, her face softening with the shift in conversation. Harry grinned at her and then she turned, the pair resuming their trek up the last of the stairs.</p>
<p>“I’d love to meet him,” Harry said, and found he genuinely meant it. To be fair, with two sons of his own, they would always be his weakness. “I remember that age. James was much more rambunctious than Al, but that summer before they started primary school was my favorite.”</p>
<p>Lavender paused at the top of the stairs, looking down at him with a thoughtful expression. When Harry joined her at the entrance to the hotel’s atrium, she still seemed to be looking for something. He didn’t know what.</p>
<p>“You have James and Al with Ginny, right?” Lavender asked, her voice giving nothing away. Harry nodded. “How is she?”</p>
<p>“Ginny?” Lavender nodded this time, smiling a little at the confusion in his voice. “We’re divorced.”</p>
<p>“Oh? I didn’t know,” Lavender mused as they passed the fountain. She sounded very much like she <em>did know</em>, but Harry was distracted by the black marble Dionysus spinning a matching Ariadne in his arms and the poem he knew lay on the other side. He felt his heart twist again, but even he knew it wasn’t for the end of his marriage.</p>
<p>“Two years ago. We waited until both of the boys were at Hogwarts before we separated.”</p>
<p>“So you just stayed together for the kids?”</p>
<p>“Little bit, maybe. I think so. It’s complicated.”</p>
<p>Lavender just hummed in response, her expression turning thoughtful as they entered the hotel. Harry should have turned right to get to his room, but for some reason found himself turning left and continuing to follow his old schoolmate. She had said the flowers were for the bridal bouquet; maybe Harry could learn more about the bride. Or about the other blonde he could never stop thinking about.</p>
<p>They turned a corner into a small ballroom and Lavender came to an abrupt halt, throwing her arm across Harry’s chest to make him halt beside her. He opened his mouth to ask why they had stopped, but then his gaze caught the couch midway across the hall and the words died on his lips. Lying down across the couch, silhouette brightened considerably with the glow of sunlight streaming through a window, was the same blonde Harry had been thinking about all day.</p>
<p>Draco lay on his back, his arms held straight up in the air so he could hold open a book and read it to the small figure curled up in on his chest. Between his arms, lying on his side completely on top of Draco, was a chubby little boy with a mess of brown curls hiding his face from view. All Harry could tell was that the little boy was sucking his thumb with one hand, clutching a worn out stuffed bunny with the other, and listening intently as Draco animatedly told him the story of a little boy who wanted to be a mermaid and his abuela taking him to a festival all dressed up. Draco seemed entirely comfortable, like this was a regular occurrence. Based on the fond, affectionate expression Lavender was looking at them with, Harry supposed it was.</p>
<p>If Harry didn’t know any better, from this distance the little boy could have been James when he was that age. The idea made Harry’s stomach flutter and his heart twist all at once; that at some point he might have come close to that very idea being a reality made it very hard to push away all those ‘what ifs.’ Harry wondered if Draco would have been like this with James and Albus, if he had been like this with Lily, and felt his heart break. Harry would never regret Ginny– she had given him their boys– but he would always regret leaving Kalokairi when he did. There was nothing for it now, though. All Harry could do was move forward, and he knew the day before that the moment he laid eyes on the blonde for the first time in twenty years that he would do anything to make sure he moved forward with Draco. So pushing Lavender’s arm down and staunchly ignoring her inquisitive stare, Harry began to step forwards.</p>
<p>“What are you reading?” he called out. Draco started, sitting up before he suddenly remembered the boy tucked into him. The book fell to the floor with an echoing tumble in the spacious room and Draco wound his arms around the boy to keep him from meeting the same fate.</p>
<p>“Potter,” Draco breathed in surprise, Harry finally coming to a stop in front of them. He averted his gaze from surprised, curious grey ones in favor of looking at the boy who was shyly gazing back.</p>
<p>The boy was small for his age, and not close to being as broad as Goyle had always been, but he was chubby. His hair was a mop of curly brown hair, rather than blonde, and his eyes were as brown and bright as Lavender’s. The boy had the same round face, the same rosy complexion, and the same open expression on his face. He was definitely Lavender’s little boy– Vince, Harry remembered– but the way his weight was set and the shy, reserved manner was all Goyle. It was a rather good combination, Harry thought.</p>
<p>“Hey, little fella,” Harry greeted softly, dropping to his knees so he would be eye level with the boy. “It’s Vince, isn’t it?” The boy, thumb still in his mouth, nodded. Harry grinned. “My name is Harry. It’s very nice to meet you. You know, I used to go to school with your mum.” The boy’s already wide eyes somehow widened even further.</p>
<p>“Did you know daddy too?” the boy whispered, and Harry chuckled.</p>
<p>“I absolutely did. He was always with this guy here,” Harry pointed up at Draco with his thumb, unsure what the boy called him.</p>
<p>“Uncle Dray,” the boy told him, dropping his wet hand to his lap. Harry smiled and nodded.</p>
<p>“Your dad and Uncle Dray were two peas in a pod,” Harry told him. The boy leaned forward excitedly, pulling away from Draco’s arms. Harry glanced up, green eyes meeting gray and promptly blushed. Draco was gazing at him with such intensity, such <em>awe</em>. Harry grinned at him, his smile growing wider as Draco’s cheeks began to warm. “They were real cute together.”</p>
<p>“Cute?” the boy asked. Harry looked back down and nodded, biting back a laugh.</p>
<p>“They thought they were so cool, strutting around the school like they owned it,” Harry confirmed, lowering his voice like he was sharing a secret. Vince bounced excitedly. “They got into all sorts of trouble together.”</p>
<p>“They are cool!” Vince crowed and Harry laughed.</p>
<p>“They did turn out pretty alright,” Harry agreed, gazing back up at Draco. The blonde looked almost…fond. Harry’s breath caught in his throat. God, he was <em>such</em> an idiot. “Draco…”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Draco cleared his throat, suddenly broken from the trance. He stood and placed Vince onto the ground, forcing Harry to stand and move back in order to avoid being stepped on. “I think your mother needs your help, Vincent. You best be off.”</p>
<p>“Mummy!” the little boy cried, just now noticing Lavender, and before Draco could say goodbye the boy was bolting to the woman who hadn’t stopped watching them. Harry cleared his throat, and Draco turned his gaze back to Harry. The two stood, staring the other down, until Harry shifted forwards.</p>
<p>“I’m probably needed as well, so I’d best be off,” Draco said quickly and then spun on his heel and strode for the entrance at the opposite end of the hall.</p>
<p>“Draco, wait!” Harry called out, running after him. Draco either didn’t hear him or didn’t listen, but as he was suddenly picking up the pace Harry thought it was the latter. “Can’t we talk?”</p>
<p>“What’s there to say?”</p>
<p>“It’s been twenty years, I’m sure there’s plenty to say,” Harry panted as he trotted to keep up. It was the wrong thing to say, or pant rather, because very suddenly, Draco stopped. Harry tripped over his feet and managed to catch his balance just in time to turn back to the man who was now <em>glaring</em> at him with the heat of a thousand suns.</p>
<p>“Exactly,” Draco said coolly. “It’s been <em>twenty</em> <em>years</em>, Potter. You haven’t had anything to say in all this time, and now…neither do I.”</p>
<p>Harry stood, mouth agape and heart pounding wildly in his chest, as he let Draco stride quickly away. Harry let him just walk away. Again. When Draco turned the corner, Harry cursed himself and began to run to catch up. When Harry turned the same corner, Draco was nowhere in sight. Instead, another tall, blonde stood gazing at him coolly, light brows arched high in surprise.</p>
<p>“Mrs. Malfoy.” This island seemed to have <em>a lot</em> of surprises for Harry today.</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>Nico drove the odd trio past a variety of dragons – the sand and snow wraiths, both of which excelled with blending in with their surroundings; a large gaggle of dwarf dragons, a small species that lived in hives like bees and were often found scavenging shiny objects instead of food (a huge part of why they found themselves on the endangered species list); the world’s only known living Ka-Riu, a scarlet colored dragon that often looked as though it was made completely of fire; and one of Lily’s favorites, the Knucker, a leathery brown dragon that lives in damp holes, spits purple venom, and reminds Lily a bit of a salamander.</p>
<p>“Why are we stopping here?” Lily asked as Nico began to pull over.</p>
<p>“This is why I’m here,” Charlie said from the back.</p>
<p>“Are we getting rid of the Skrill?” Lily asked, turning to Nico with wide eyes as he climbed out of the Jeep. He looked up at her with a side smile.</p>
<p>“Not all of them, just Geronimo,” he told her. Lily felt her heart drop.</p>
<p>“Why?” she asked softly, following the rest of them out of the Wrangler. She looked up into the large cave they had parked in front of, the entrance to the Skrill enclosure.</p>
<p>Skrill were one of the most difficult dragons to keep in captivity. They were large, powerful dragons rivaled in force only by the Hungarian Horntail. Most people saw them as dangerous, protective dragons but Lily knew they were nervous, anxious creatures. They were hard to find; even harder to catch. Kefáli tou Drákou had only come by them fifteen years ago thanks to Nico, who had found a pair when one of them – Geronimo – was injured. Unable to continue on in the wild, Geronimo became a permanent fixture. And unable to continue on without her mate, Gina had come with him.</p>
<p>“Is Gina going with him?” Lily asked as they slowly made their way into the cold, iced cave. Nico cast a warming charm over the group, looking at Lily sadly.</p>
<p>“No, she’ll be staying here,” Nico said.</p>
<p>“You can’t separate them,” Lily protested, clenching her fists at her side. The idea was <em>ludicrous</em>. Skrill weren’t known to mate for life like some other dragon species, but Gina and Geronimo had never known anyone else. Lily didn’t realize how heated she was getting over the idea until Charlie gently placed a hand over hers. She turned to look up at him with a questioning expression, but he wasn’t looking her way. He was gazing further into the cave.</p>
<p>“You have not been here in too long, little flower,” Nico said softly, offering her a small smile. “Last summer, we acquired another young male. Ladon. He and Gina are expecting.”</p>
<p>Lily froze. Nico kept moving, Daphne close behind and beginning to ask questions about the Skrill. Only Charlie seemed to notice she wasn’t keeping up with them anymore. He stopped and turned back, looking at her in sympathy.</p>
<p>“Ladon keeps attacking Geronimo,” Charlie explained. Lily’s eyes widened.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“It’s not uncommon in young Skrill. The males can be pretty territorial. Nico wrote to me and asked if we could take Geronimo. It’s not safe for him here anymore and they want to focus on breeding Gina and Ladon if they can. Increase the population. We have room for him in Romania. I told Nico I was going to be nearby anyways; said I could stop by and take him with me when I go. They should have the enclosure ready by the time we get there.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Lily looked down, crossing her arms and trying to hold back tears. Geronimo had been here almost as long as she had been coming. She couldn’t imagine not being able to see him whenever she wanted to anymore. A warm, calloused hand suddenly rested on her shoulder and she looked up, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Charlie said gently, frowning. Lily just nodded, not sure what else to say. Charlie seemed to be fighting with himself to say something though; Lily waited. Finally, Charlie sighed and dropped his hand away. “I went to the sanctuary in Romania right after I graduated Hogwarts. There was an old Amphiptere there that I was tasked with taking care of.”</p>
<p>“That’s that green and yellow feathered dragon, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes. Well, this one had been in Romania for almost eighty years. She was old. But she was my first dragon. I got attached. When she died, I was…I was devastated. Getting over her was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”</p>
<p>“Even harder than getting over–” Lily clamped her mouth shut. Charlie furrowed his brow and frowned.</p>
<p>“Getting over…?” he asked carefully, but Lily just shook her head, turning her gaze to the ground.</p>
<p>“No one. Nothing. You were saying?” Charlie looked at her for another moment, then shook his head as though trying to clear it.</p>
<p>“Right. Well. It was hard. But Geronimo is just leaving. He still has a lot of healthy years ahead of him and you are welcome to visit him in Romania any time.” Lily looked back up at him, eyes wide and mouth agape.</p>
<p>“Really? You mean that?” Charlie grinned.</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>“Are you coming?” Nico’s voice suddenly called to them. Charlie laughed and slung his arm over Lily’s shoulders.</p>
<p>“Come on. Let’s go see Geronimo.”</p>
<p>When Lily and Charlie caught up, Nico and Daphne were already standing in front of a pacing, obviously anxious dragon. A magical barrier stood between them and the dragon for safety; the pacing dragon was sparking with electricity. The dragon was a deep purple in color with a light gray underbelly. Black and dark gray spikes covered the dragon’s head and trailed down its back to the tip of its sharpened tail. Its eyes were black, endless pits and its wings were large and bat-like. It paced back and forth on its large hind legs, its front claws part of its wings. Currents of electricity seemed to spark down the length of its body over and over again, almost as if the dragon’s anxiety was becoming literally palpable.</p>
<p>At the sight of the dragon, Lily bounced away from Charlie and approached the barrier with a wide smile on her face. Charlie reached out to stop her, but Nico held out an arm to prevent Charlie from approaching. Nico’s other arm was wrapped around Daphne and keeping her from chasing after the young woman as well. He seemed to be the only one completely unconcerned about what the agitated dragon could do to someone as small as Lily.</p>
<p>“Nico, you can’t just let her–” Charlie began, pulling his wand out, but Nico tightened his grip on Charlie’s other arm and cut him off.</p>
<p>“Geronimo won’t hurt her,” Nico said confidently.</p>
<p>“You don’t know that! How could you know that? Look at it!” Daphne exclaimed, the panic evident in her voice. If Draco found out about this, he was going to <em>kill </em>her.</p>
<p>“I know,” Nico said. Both Charlie and Daphne seemed to be holding their breath as Lily passed through the delicate barrier Nico had erected.</p>
<p>The dragon reared back at her sudden appearance, sparks of electricity disconnecting from its body and sparking against the wall. Rock and ice began to fall, its shatter echoing throughout the cave. Lily stood her ground, raising both hands up to show the dragon she came without anything with which to attack. Her heart was pounding, her stomach fluttering, her hands beginning to sweat – it was always nerve wracking every first approach, no matter how many years she had been doing this. Slowly, carefully, Lily dropped down to one knee and dropped her head.</p>
<p>The dragon fell forward onto all fours, its wings crackling with energy as they came around to cover its body. But then the dragon leaned its head forwards and breathed in deep. It opened its mouth and Charlie clutched his wand tighter, suddenly sure that Nico was wrong, but the dragon just let out a deep breath and suddenly the crackling stopped.</p>
<p>“Hi, Geronimo,” Lily greeted the dragon softly and with a gentle whine, the dragon fell forwards until his body was pressed to the ground and his nose was pressed against Lily’s shoes. She laughed and reached out, gently stroking his head around the spikes. She cooed at him softly. “Have you been a good boy?”</p>
<p>“She named him,” Nico said to no one in particular. Daphne, still fighting her panic, didn’t even seem to hear. Charlie’s brow rose as he turned his head to look at his old friend. Nico was looking at Lily and her dragon with nothing but fondness. “She was four. Her father had started taking her here not long before we got him and Gina. I am still not sure how to this day, but she managed to get away from the tour. We found her sitting wrapped up in Geronimo’s tail telling him a story. Her father fainted from the fear.” Nico laughed at his own story. Charlie grinned. “She kept calling the dragon Geronimo. And here we are. It is good that you brought her along today. That will make this so much easier. They are very attached to each other these many years now.”</p>
<p>“How long have you had Geronimo?” Charlie asked.</p>
<p>“Fifteen years now.”</p>
<p>“So that would make Lily…”</p>
<p>“Nineteen,” Daphne answered for him. Charlie suddenly frowned.</p>
<p>“Huh.”</p>
<p>“Little flower,” Nico called, letting go of Daphne and Charlie and carefully stepping through the barrier. Geronimo just huffed, but Lily looked up at him with a smile. “It is time.” Lily frowned.</p>
<p>“But Charlie’s not leaving until Sunday,” she said, her voice wobbling a little and chest tightening. She knew Charlie’s invitation was real, but that didn’t stop this from hurting.</p>
<p>“Yes, but if we freeze him now then we can get him ready and keep him safe from Ladon until then.” Nico stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Lily’s shoulder and withdrawing his wand with his other.</p>
<p>“Freeze him?” Daphne asked, torn between confusion at the situation and amazement at the scene in front of her. With one last scratch of Geronimo’s head, Lily stood up and stepped back, looking at her godmother.</p>
<p>“Skrill hibernate in ice,” Lily explained. “Honestly, it’s probably the only reason why they live so long. Their bodies slow exponentially, and they age very little when they’re frozen. It’s also the best way to preserve them for transport. They’re not anxious that way and to them, it feels like no time has passed at all.” Lily looked down at Geronimo, who was still lying down and curiously gazing up at her from his position on the floor. “He might be a <em>bit</em> of a handful when they unfreeze him though. But he’ll be in good hands.” When Lily flashed a smile to Charlie, he was looking right at her. He seemed to look almost…proud, she thought. She flushed a light shade of pink. Nico cleared his throat and Lily stepped back as he raised his wand.</p>
<p>“<em>Partum glacio</em>,” Nico cast, and the odd trio watched in amazement as a gentle flow of ice swirled out of tip of his wand and began to surround the now docile dragon lying calmly on the ground. Slowly, but surely a thick block of ice formed around Geronimo until he was completely encased. When the spell was finished, Lily reached out and pressed her hand against the ice in front of Geronimo’s snout, a sad smile on her face.</p>
<p>“Goodbye, friend. I’ll try to see you soon, okay?” She felt a heavy hand settle on her shoulder and looked up into Charlie’s sympathetic face. He squeezed her shoulder in comfort and she leaned against him. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“Come,” Nico said, motioning for all of them to move towards the entrance to the cave. “We must be going.”</p>
<p>Daphne stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Lily’s shoulder, smiling over her head at Charlie. He smiled back.</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>Teddy knew that Vic was certain that Harry was Lily’s other dad and that Lily was talking herself into being certain that Charlie was her other dad. Teddy also knew that they would both be wrong. He could see the appeal, sure. But after last night, Teddy was absolutely certain that Lily’s other dad was Theo. When Teddy asked Lily how she thought using the plot of her favorite musical as a real life ploy would be at all inconspicuous to Draco, the curly blonde had replied that her dad was sure to give it serious consideration and then promptly consider it to be too obvious, if not beyond her capability, and ignore it. It was just so…<em>Slytherin</em> of her. Sometimes, Teddy wondered why the hat had thought she belonged in Hufflepuff at all.</p>
<p>Five years ago, Lily’s desire to see her friends happy together may have been a little Hufflepuff, but the way she had gotten Teddy and Vic together – first by talking up the Yule Ball, then by somehow convincing everyone but Teddy to be conveniently unable to ask Vic to be their date, and then by making sure Vic looked like an actual goddess and ensuring Teddy got her specific flowers that conveyed he was ready to worship her – was definitely Slytherin. By virtue of growing up as Lily’s cousin and being involved with Draco after the man and his mother rekindled a relationship with Andromeda, Teddy felt like he had gotten to know Theo pretty well over the years.</p>
<p>The man was quiet and reserved in a way that Lily usually wasn’t, but Teddy grew up with Lily even if the first half of their lives was mostly long distance. He had watched her silently fade into the background, studying the people around her before engaging. Watching her interact with different people through the years was like watching a dozen different sides of his cousin. It didn’t seem to matter if the person was a studious introvert who lived in the library or a sports buff who breathed Quidditch – Lily fit herself in one way or another. Lily had laughed when he mentioned it. She’d called it “social flexibility.” It didn’t seem strange to Teddy that she already had a name for it until he overheard Draco teasing Theo for the same thing. Theo had been around a lot when they were young; Teddy had assumed that perhaps Lily had picked it up from him. Now, Teddy knew that Lily had inherited the trait.</p>
<p>“When does Theo get here?” Teddy broke the evening silence and Lily looked up from her book to smile at him. The pair were sat on the slanted roof above their shared suite. Normally they’d room separately, but with the influx of guests there simply wouldn’t be room. Vic was with them too, but where she was now he didn’t know. He tried not to think about the fact that he wasn’t allowed to know anymore.</p>
<p>“In the morning. We should get to the docks by seven so we can greet him before Dad does.”</p>
<p>“Why wasn’t he invited in the first place?”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I mean, he’s been friends with your dad since they were little, yeah? So why wouldn’t Draco just invite him?” Lily shrugged.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. It’s been a while since they’ve talked.”</p>
<p>“So? Did they get into a fight?”</p>
<p>“No. They never fight.” Teddy frowned, his hair darkening as he tried to piece together his thoughts.</p>
<p>Draco and Theo had always had an odd relationship. They weren’t regularly involved in each other’s lives, one or the other disappearing every now and again. Teddy had always assumed it was because of the distance, even if Draco had managed to keep in regular touch with Pansy, Daphne, and his grandmother. Now Teddy knew they had a different kind of history. He hummed in thought and then turned newly green eyes towards his cousin.</p>
<p>“When did they stop talking?” Lily started to shrug again, but then paused with her shoulders halfway up, her brow furrowed in thought.</p>
<p>“Dad floo’d him two days after Alex proposed last year. I remember because Uncle Theo congratulated me. He was happy for me, but almost a little sad too. I totally forgot.”</p>
<p>“It’s definitely him.” Lily snorted and rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“And Vic says it’s definitely Harry.”</p>
<p>“And you say it’s definitely Charlie.”</p>
<p>“No, I said <em>maybe</em> it’s Charlie.”</p>
<p>“You want it to be Charlie, though.”</p>
<p>“Maybe.”</p>
<p>“It’s definitely Theo.”</p>
<p>“Maybe.”</p>
<p>Teddy laughed and pulled his cousin into a hug, ruffling her hair as his curled to match. The pair leaned back after and looked quietly up at the stars. Lily was the first in the Black family line in generations to not be named after a constellation. When she was six, her and Teddy had made one up. The flower looked down at them now and Teddy smiled into the comfortable silence.</p>
<p>“So…what are you going to do about Vic?” Teddy groaned; Lily laughed.</p>
<p>~ ~ ~</p>
<p>“He looks so young.” The awe was audible.</p>
<p>“He was.”</p>
<p>“He’s glowing.”</p>
<p>“He did.”</p>
<p>“I wish I was here then.” The only response was a rather undignified snort.</p>
<p>“No you don’t. He was only lovely in photographs. Remember how irritable you were by month six?” A barking laugh broke through the magicked silence of the room.</p>
<p>“Of course Draco would have been worse!”</p>
<p>“Mmm.”</p>
<p>“What am I to do with this then? Add it to the slideshow?”</p>
<p>“I was thinking something a little more…personal.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case you don’t speak Greek, “ Kefáli tou Drákou” is poorly translated Greek meaning “head of the dragon.” The Latin, “caput draconis,” was the very first password to the Gryffindor common room. Please leave a round of applause to my beta for that wonderful idea!</p>
<p>The book Draco is reading to little Vince is “Julián Is a Mermaid” by Jessica Love. It’s a very cute, very colorful children’s book that sheds some amazing kid-level light on trans/genderqueer folks. The main characters are also Latine. 10/10 would recommend.</p>
<p>The dragons were inspired from many sources, but the Skrill specifically are from one of the “How to Train Your Dragon” movies. I haven’t seen it myself, but I loved this dragon and it’s on my to-watch list for sure.</p>
<p>“Bacchus and Ariadne” is a real poem written by British poet Leigh Hunt in 1819.</p>
<p>I know Lavender/Goyle is such an odd pairing, but once I imagined it I immediately fell in love. I hope you do too. I may write a short how-they-got-together spin off when I’m done. It’s so so tempting.</p>
<p>I think that about covers everything I wanted to say! </p>
<p>I hope that you loved this chapter as much as I loved writing it. Please leave kudos and comments and don’t hesitate even a little to share your thoughts!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope this first chapter intrigued you. Please leave me comments and kudos and tell me what you think!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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